Trust
by Red Hardy
Summary: One month after Joe’s murder trial ends, a seemingly innocent weekend vacation in New York City sets off a chain of events for Frank, Callie, Joe and Vanessa that puts their relationships - and recoveries - to the ultimate test.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Still don't own them, still wish I did.

A/N: Yup, this one was also written before I learned the multiple POV thing is really annoying. Sorry. ;-)

This is part of a series that began with _Under The Influence, _and continued in _Guilty_ and _Innocent_. While there are references to the previous stories in this one, I think you'll still be able to follow and understand it without having read them. Of course I do hope you'll go back and read them eventually… :-)

**Trust**

**Chapter 1**

Dark haired, twenty-four year old Frank Hardy sat at the small table looking out onto the dance floor. The loud music and pulsating lights weren't exactly his thing, but this wasn't his night.

"Too bad American Bandstand got cancelled. They would have stolen the show."

Frank looked at his wife, Callie, and smiled. With her blonde hair, deep brown eyes and perfect figure she'd be a hit on the dance floor too, but like him, she preferred something a little quieter. Taking her hand, Frank leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you," he said, gratefully.

"For what?" she asked, confused.

"This." He waved his hand, encompassing the noisy, crowded club they were sitting in. "For suggesting Joe and Vanessa come along. Today could have been a nightmare for them and you turned it into a celebration," Frank replied, referring to his twenty-three year old brother Joe and his fiancée, Vanessa.

"It is a celebration – that Joe is free and they are both recovering."

Frank looked out at the dance floor once again. Joe and Vanessa had been dancing non-stop for forty-five minutes. Both of them tall and blonde, they were easily the best-looking couple out there. Frank had noticed people seemed transfixed by them at times, although Joe and Vanessa were oblivious to the attention. They seemed to be in their own little world where only the two of them existed.

Exactly one month ago today, Joe had been found not guilty of murdering the man who had raped Vanessa. The trial had brought back some traumatic memories Joe had kept buried for seventeen years. Since they resurfaced, Joe had been seeing a therapist regularly, as had Vanessa, and Frank was amazed at the progress they both had made.

With this date looming as a reminder of all the pain and horror they had endured, Frank had been afraid they both might take several steps back in their recoveries and had shared his fears with Callie. When Callie realized this date fell on the weekend she and Frank were taking her parents to New York City to see them off on a month-long cruise to celebrate their thirtieth wedding anniversary, she suggested Joe and Vanessa come along. She had made all the arrangements and turned a day that could have been filled with bad memories into a celebration. The four of them were spending the weekend in New York City, doing all the things Joe and Vanessa loved.

Callie had gone to great lengths to keep them occupied and try to keep them focused on the positive outcome of the trial. Joe was free and he and Vanessa were once again planning what Callie was sure would turn out to be the wildest wedding Bayport had ever seen.

Suddenly Joe plopped down on to the chair next to his brother and pulled Vanessa down on his lap. They were both flushed and out of breath, but apparently having a wonderful time.

"Hey, I haven't seen you two out on the dance floor at all!" Vanessa said to Frank and Callie.

"That's what happens when you get married," Joe teased. "You get old and boring."

"We're just waiting for a slow song," Frank informed his younger brother.

As if on cue, a ballad began playing. Frank stood and offered Callie his hand.

"You coming?" she asked Joe and Vanessa as she stood up.

"Nah. We're going to sit this one out," Vanessa replied, staring into Joe's piercing blue eyes and running her fingers through his hair.

Callie smiled at them knowingly, and followed Frank out onto the dance floor. She let herself be swallowed up in his arms and enjoyed being so close to him. At one point she glanced towards their table and laughed softly.

"What?" Frank said simply. He was holding her close, eyes closed, enjoying the dance.

"I was just thinking what a shame it is they're so shy and introverted in public." Callie nudged Frank to look at his brother and Vanessa.

Looking in their direction, Frank sighed and rolled his eyes. Joe and Vanessa were engaged in a passionate kiss, once again oblivious to the fact that they were in a crowded club. He often chided his brother about the enthusiastic public displays of affection he and Vanessa shared, but tonight he didn't care one bit. He hadn't seen them this happy and relaxed in a long time and he wasn't about to do or say anything to put a damper on their high spirits.

Shaking his head slightly, he returned his attention to Callie, kissing her softly and burying his face in her neck.

…

From a booth nestled in a dark corner of the club, a lone man snapped photo after photo of Frank and Callie. Holding each other closely, swaying slowly to the music, occasionally exchanging a kiss or a tight embrace, the young couple was completely unaware of the voyeur who seemed so interested in photographing their every move.

…

As the song ended Frank held Callie close and kissed her deeply before returning to their table.

"It's almost last call. Why don't we head back to the hotel?" Frank said, tapping his brother on the shoulder.

"Fine with me," Joe responded, not taking his eyes off Vanessa.

"Come on, Van." Callie tugged on her friend's arm. "I need to use the restroom before we go."

"What is it with women?" Joe scowled, not wanting to release Vanessa. "Why can't you go to the bathroom alone?"

"It's a chick thing, honey. We always have to go in groups of two or more." Vanessa kissed Joe one more time before disentangling herself from him and following Callie to the back of the club.

"Women!" Joe muttered, reaching for his wallet.

"Uh-uh." Frank stopped him. "This one's on me."

"Frank, you've been saying that all weekend. You haven't let me pay for anything yet!" Joe protested.

"That's because you and Vanessa are our guests. Your money is no good."

"Frank…"

"No," Frank said sternly, then smiled. "Save it and buy something nice for Vanessa."

"Thanks, bro," Joe smiled. _'You're the best!'_

A few minutes later Callie and Vanessa returned to the table and the little group wound their way towards the exit, oblivious to the fact that they were being watched.

…

As the man in the booth observed the four young people make their way towards the door, his cell phone rang.

"Yes?" he answered. After listening for a moment, he spoke again.

"Yes, I got them. Don't worry, I took more than enough pictures. It will work. Frank Hardy set himself up perfectly."

Hanging up, he laid the phone on the table and watched as Frank held the door for Joe, Vanessa and Callie, and then followed them out. Raising his glass in a silent toast to Frank, the man smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm not sure if climbing to the top of the Statue of Liberty is still allowed. If not, let's pretend it is. ;-)

Thank you to everyone who has read the first chapter and thanks to Cheryl, TraSan, josie, Helen, Alicia, MissMe113, Miss Fenway and dazzling vampire for the reviews. I didn't consciously try to make this a 'Frank' story but yeah, I guess I gave him a harder time in this one than any of my others that have been posted so far. ;-) Hope you continue to enjoy it, regardless. Again thanks for ALL the great comments! :-)

**Trust**

**Chapter 2**

"It's three-hundred-five-feet-one-inch from the ground to the tip of the torch," Joe read from the brochure, excitement gleaming in his blue eyes. "Twenty-two stories. Three-hundred-fifty-four steps." He stopped reading and looked up at Frank. "Race you to the top," Joe challenged with an impish grin.

"Not on your life," Frank replied shaking his head, thrilled to see the brother he had so desperately missed the last few months finally starting to re-emerge. "I'll forfeit."

"Aw, come on. I'll even give you a head start. You can take the elevator to the top of the pedestal. I'll take the steps." Joe referred to the brochure once again. "All 192 of them!"

Frank, Callie, Joe and Vanessa were just finishing breakfast in the hotel's restaurant before checking out and getting started on their final day of fun in the city. Given Joe's love of history, Callie had gathered some brochures on the various historic landmarks she thought he might be interested in. Perusing the brochures with Vanessa looking over his shoulder, Joe had settled on the Ellis Island Immigration Museum and the Statue of Liberty.

"Come on, Frank. Don't deprive him of the chance to make a fool of himself," Vanessa teased. "Or you," she added as an after thought, not quite sure who would emerge victorious in a race to the top of the Statue of Liberty even if Frank did have a head start by taking the elevator.

"Oh, go on Frank. Race him to the top," Callie encouraged.

"Thanks a lot!" Frank said to her. "You're my wife. You're supposed to be on my side."

"Please," Joe begged. "You said today was my day. I could do anything I wanted."

"Yeah, anything _you_ wanted. Not anything you wanted _me_ to do!"

"But I want to race you to the top of the Statue of Liberty!" Joe pleaded.

"You better say yes, Frank, before he brings out the puppy dog eyes," Vanessa advised, with a laugh.

"Fine," Frank said with mock exasperation. "I'll race you to the top. But I'm taking you up on the head start."

"No problem," Joe replied with a mischievous grin. "You're an old married man now. Slows you down. I'll still beat you."

"You really need to learn to be more confident, hon." Vanessa laughed, then leaned in kissing Joe on the cheek.

As Joe and Vanessa engaged in a whispered conversation, Frank turned to Callie and winked, squeezing her hand. He wanted her to know, once again, how grateful he was to her for arranging this weekend for Joe and Vanessa. Seeing the waiter approach Frank signaled for the check and then reached into his pocket for his keys.

"Joe, you want to go get the car and bring it around front?" he asked, tossing the keys at his brother.

"Why, so you can pay the bill…_again_?" Joe replied, frustrated.

"Yeah, something like that. And don't even bother to argue, the answer is no."

"So you've been telling me all weekend." Joe got up and pulled Vanessa up beside him. "We'll meet you out front."

"Okay," Frank replied as he and Callie watched the younger couple exit the restaurant, still talking animatedly about the brochures clutched in their hands.

oooOOOooo

The four young people stood in awe, heads tilted back as far as possible, staring up at the impressive sight before them.

"I'm glad it's such a nice day," Callie remarked as a light breeze ruffled her hair. "Can you imagine being up there when it's really windy out?"

"I imagine a strong wind would cause the whole structure to move at least a little bit," Frank commented.

"A fifty-mile-per-hour wind will cause the statue to sway three inches and the torch to sway five inches," Joe said absentmindedly, still gazing upward.

Frank turned to look at his brother, both amused and impressed. "That was in the brochure?"

"Nope. Mrs. Grayson's ninth grade history class."

"Really?" Frank said, amazed that Joe had remembered anything from ninth grade. "What else did you learn about the Statue of Liberty in her class?"

"There are twenty five windows in the crown. They symbolize the gemstones found on the earth and heaven's rays shining over the world. The seven rays in the statue's crown represent the seven seas and the continents of the world. The statue was given to the United States as a gift from France in 1886. But the torch isn't original. It's been completely rebuilt. The original one is in the Torch Exhibit and the original flame is in the lobby." Completing his little speech, Joe finally looked at the others.

"What?" he asked, seeing both Frank and Callie looking back at him with shocked expressions on their faces and Vanessa smiling at him, beaming with pride.

"And all this time I thought the only thing you remembered from high school was football, parties and girls."

"Those were my majors," Joe winked at his brother. "But there were a few other things I found interesting enough to remember."

"If you guys are going to race to the top you better get started before it gets too crowded," Vanessa advised.

"Did you have to remind him, Van." Frank rolled his eyes. "I was kinda hoping he'd forgotten about it."

"Not a chance, _older_ brother," Joe laughed, emphasizing the 'old'. "Let's go."

"Fine, let's get this over with. But I'm taking the elevator," Frank reminded his brother.

"No problem, old man. See you at the top." Giving Vanessa a quick peck on the cheek, Joe was off.

Shaking his head, Frank smiled and followed his brother to the entrance.

"This means we can go at a much more leisurely pace." Callie joked, linking her arm through Vanessa's and steering them in the direction Frank and Joe had just taken.

…

A while later Vanessa and Callie emerged at the top, and after a few moments of searching they found Frank and Joe gazing out at New York City through one of the windows.

"So who won?" Callie asked coming up behind the brothers.

Turning, Frank opened his mouth to reply, but Joe cut him off. "It was a tie," he said, smiling mysteriously.

"It was?" Frank looked at him astonished.

Joe slung an arm over his brother's shoulder and winked at him. "Yeah…it was."

After looking through each of the windows, ooh-ing and aah-ing at the impressive vista below, the two couples made their way back down the stairs. They spent the next few hours looking at the various exhibits and displays and chatting with the guides before taking a break for lunch.

"Ok, little brother, impress us with your knowledge of Ellis Island," Frank said between bites of his sandwich.

"Well…" Joe began his eyes gleaming. "There's a mystery surrounding Ellis Island."

"Uh-oh," Callie said looking at Vanessa. "The real reason he wanted to come here finally comes out."

"Seriously?" Frank asked, intrigued.

"Mm-hmm." Joe nodded vigorously. "A man named Samuel Ellis bought the island in the 1770's. He was the last private owner. During the war, the government bought it from him and used it as a fort and ammunition and ordnance depot. They named it Fort Gibson. In 1892 it was turned into an immigration station."

"So where does the mystery come in?" Frank prodded.

"On July 14, 1897 the original structure burned to the ground," Joe continued excitedly. "No one was killed but all the records dating back to 1855 were destroyed. And they never found out what caused the fire. It's a mystery to this day," he concluded ominously.

Callie watched as the brothers looked at each other, identical expressions on their faces. "Please don't tell me you are going to try and find out what caused the fire," she said only half-jokingly.

"I don't know, Joe. A mysterious fire. No known cause. It would still be an open case, don't you think?" Frank addressed his brother.

"I'd think so," Joe replied seriously. "Guess we should look into it, huh?"

"Well, we _have_ solved every case we ever accepted," Frank said, modestly. "I'm sure the government would be happy to have us check it out. What do you say?"

"N-no." Callie stared wide-eyed at her husband. "Investigating an unsolved fire from 1897? You cannot be serious!"

"But it's the patriotic thing to do," Frank said innocently. "Ellis Island is a national treasure!"

Vanessa remained silent, but peered closely at Joe, a determined expression on her face. Falling victim to her unrelenting gaze, Joe tried to fight back a smile but seconds later broke out into contagious laughter.

"I didn't think they were serious," Vanessa said to Callie, as she lightly smacked Joe on the arm. "But you never know with these two."

Finishing up their lunch, they headed to the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Watching Joe and Vanessa as the afternoon wore on, Frank thought he detected a slight change in them. Happy and boisterous when the day began, he noticed they seemed to become more subdued as the day progressed, occasionally exchanging a troubled glance or whispered conversation.

As their short vacation from reality drew to a close, the little group returned to Frank's car to begin the drive home. Frank looked on with concern as Joe held the car door open for Vanessa then shut it gently behind her. As he watched Joe start to walk around to the other side of the car, he swore he could almost see Joe's mood changing before his eyes. Apparently, he _hadn't_ been imagining the worried looks that had been passing between Joe and Vanessa as the day wore on.

"Hey, is anything wrong?" Frank asked softly, stopping his brother behind the car.

"Nah," Joe said, his voice tinged with sadness.

"Liar," Frank replied affectionately. "Come on, give. What's bothering you?"

Joe studied the emblem on the back of Frank's car for a moment before looking at his brother, the sadness in his voice now reflected in his blue eyes.

"I'm just not really looking forward to going back to the real world. Real memories and real problems," he finally replied.

Frank took a deep breath, trying to choose his words very carefully. He wanted to reach out and help his brother without upsetting Joe any more than he already was, which seemed to be a difficult task recently.

"Is there something specific you're worried about?"

Joe looked through the rear window into the backseat, where Vanessa was sitting, anxiety and concern clouding his face.

"Is something wrong with Vanessa?" Frank asked in alarm.

"No. Well, not that we know of," Joe corrected himself. "Her first blood test is tomorrow," Joe continued quietly, not taking his eyes off her.

"Blood test?" Frank repeated, confused.

"It's been three months," Joe said finally looking at Frank again. "She has to get tested every three months for a year. If they all come back negative, we'll know for sure she wasn't infected with HIV."

Frank actually felt his jaw drop. He _knew_ this; he remembered the doctor in the emergency room explaining all this the night Vanessa had been raped. Frank realized so much had happened since that horrible night that it was easy to forget Joe and Vanessa had to live with the repercussions of it every single day. It was especially easy to forget since they had both become so adept at hiding their feelings from everyone but each other.

"God, Joe…I'm sorry. I mean…sometimes I forget…" Frank stammered, wishing the ground would just open up and swallow him. _'Sometimes you forget?! Gee, that's supportive! Shut up already, before you stick both feet in your mouth!'_ Frank admonished himself, becoming shocked when Joe actually smiled at him.

"It's okay, Frank. Really." Joe tried to reassure his brother. "We're getting used to doing a lot of things differently now. Don't worry, we can handle it."

_'You idiot!! YOU were supposed to be comforting HIM!'_ Frank felt his face growing red with embarrassment. A sudden thought struck him and made his blood run cold. _'I can't ask him __that__! But…I have to know…for my own peace of mind.'_ Frank opened his mouth to speak and immediately snapped it shut, realizing he had no idea of how to ask what he desperately needed to know.

"Whatever it is, just spit it out, Frank," Joe said, becoming somewhat amused with his brother's obvious unease.

"Uh…Okay…Um…you and Vanessa… have you…are you…" Frank stuttered and stammered tripping over every word.

"Practicing safe sex?" Joe said, unable to contain a small chuckle as Frank flushed a deep red.

_'Leave it to my kid brother to be so blunt!'_ Frank thought, suddenly feeling much older than his brother. "Well _yes_, actually," he replied, getting slightly annoyed when Joe laughed out loud. "Well?! Are you?"

"Yes, we are," Joe reassured his brother, still smiling at Frank's chagrin. "Give me a little credit, huh? I did leave the Campbell Center with a few brain cells still in tact."

"How can you joke about something like this, Joe?" Frank asked.

"I have to." Joe suddenly turned serious. "Look Frank, Vanessa and I both know how serious all of this is, but honestly, we have to find some humor in it somewhere or we really _would_ go crazy. I'm sorry I laughed at you. Really. Don't worry, we do take everything very seriously, even if it doesn't seem that way sometimes. We're just trying to find something that resembles normal again. Or as normal as it can be for us. Okay?"

Frank shook his head, wondering when his big brother skills had suddenly taken such a nosedive without him noticing it. "You know I started this conversation with the thought of trying to make _you_ feel better. Guess I need to take some big brother refresher classes, huh?"

"On the contrary, _Big Brother_, I feel much better." Joe smiled gratefully at his brother. "Not many guys would let their little brother have a laugh at their expense and not get mad about it. I wouldn't trade you in for a 'new and improved' big brother, even if I could."

"Thanks…I think!" Frank said laughing along with Joe. "And Joe?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't have to, you know. Handle everything alone. If you ever need to talk, I'm here. You know that, right?"

"I know." Joe smiled. "I might just take you up on that one day."

"Anytime, little brother."

oooOOOooo

An hour later, Frank pulled up in front of Joe and Vanessa's apartment building. Getting out of the car, Callie stretched as she watched Frank and Joe began to unload suitcases from the trunk. Turning to Vanessa, Callie smiled.

"I hope you had a good time. I know Frank and I had a blast."

As Vanessa reached out to hug her friend, Callie could swear she saw tears in the younger girl's eyes.

"Thank you so much, Cal," Vanessa whispered. "We never would have made it through this weekend with our sanity in tact. Or what's left of it, anyway." She gave a small laugh as she pulled away. "I still can't believe you arranged a carriage ride in Central Park for us. You're the best, Callie. The best friend I have _ever_ had," Vanessa concluded squeezing Callie's hand tightly.

Callie felt a lump in her throat as she realized just how difficult it would have been for Joe and Vanessa to remain in Bayport this weekend, and be confronted with all the horrible memories that were still so fresh.

"Believe me Van, I had a lot of fun making all the plans and arrangements. Just ask Frank. I drove him crazy!" Callie replied as Vanessa broke into laughter. "And it was all worth it to see you and Joe having such a good time. We have to do it again…soon!"

Frank and Joe emerged from behind the car with the luggage, stopping in front of the girls. Joe set down the suitcase he was carrying and pulled Callie into a hug.

"Thanks, Cal." He said simply, holding her tightly for a moment. Abruptly, he released her and, taking Vanessa's hand, disappeared into the building.

oooOOOooo

After unpacking the suitcases, Vanessa walked out to the living room. She hesitated then opened the door leading out to the balcony and stood on the threshold, undecided. She needed time - alone - to sort out the thoughts and fears that had begun to plague her early that afternoon. Yet she didn't want to break the magical spell Callie had been able to weave for them. Vanessa's thoughts suddenly turned to Callie and Frank and everything they had done for her and Joe the past few months.

_'They're still newlyweds. They should be completely wrapped up in each other, not spending all their time worrying about us,'_ she thought with more than a little guilt.

"Van?" she heard Joe's soft voice behind her and smiled ironically. Without even turning around, she knew he would be standing behind her, not too close, yet not too far away either.

Within days of the rape, Joe had picked up on all her new fears, rational or not, and adjusted his behavior accordingly. Vanessa longed for the days when Joe would sneak up on her, grab her around the waist, playfully throw her on the couch, holding her down and smother her with kisses. She wondered if she'd ever get to a point where she could let him do that again or if it would now exist only in her memory.

Vanessa turned to look at Joe, but remained standing in the doorway.

"You okay?" he asked, concerned.

She wanted to lie to him. She wanted to say yes, she was fine, just reliving the magical weekend and trying to hold on to it a little while longer. But he would know. He always knew. And they vowed not to lie to each other. Not about their demons and fears.

"I just need to be alone for a few minutes." Vanessa reached out and touched his hand.

"Sure. No problem," Joe replied easily, backing off.

_'He's getting too good at this.'_ Vanessa thought sadly, noting this time the hurt in his eyes lasted only a second or two. The first time she had told him she needed to be alone, he'd been devastated. _'I could have ripped his heart out with my bare hands and it wouldn't have hurt him as much.' _

And so Vanessa stepped out on to the balcony and sat down – alone. And Joe retreated inside and sat on the couch – alone. He would give Vanessa the time and space she needed, but never would he take his eyes off her. Vanessa sat with her back to the door, knowing Joe would be just inside, sitting on the couch, watching her. She knew that would bother most people, enrage them even, but she found it comforting. One more adjustment he made to make her feel safe.

She hadn't realized, in the beginning, that he would sit and watch her when she asked to be left alone. Had she known, she probably would have been angry - incensed - especially in those early days when she couldn't seem to control her emotions at all. But one night, one particularly bad night, when she had asked Joe to give her some time alone, she hadn't been able to stay in control. Somehow, that night, her fears got away from her and the demons took over. She recalled knowing that she had lost control and felt herself slipping into her darkest nightmare. She could hear herself screaming - heart wrenching, blood curdling screams. She remembered thinking that was the night she was going to go over the edge and never be able to find her way back.

And out of nowhere it seemed, Joe was there, holding her, talking to her, pulling her back from the edge. He'd been watching her all along. Always watching, always protective, somehow knowing one night she would think too many dark thoughts and wouldn't be able to find her way back on her own. Ever since that night she had been so thankful that, despite her request to the contrary, Joe had never left her completely and totally alone.

So tonight Vanessa sat on the balcony, looking at the stars contemplating what tomorrow held in store for her.

_'Am I making too big a deal out of this? It's just a simple blood test. I'm letting my imagination run wild. I'm thinking too much. Way too much.'_

But it was no longer simple. Nothing was simple for either of them anymore. Ever since Frank had found Chris Taylor's storage unit and all the information he had collected on Joe over the years, a new fear had begun to gnaw away at Vanessa. She had heard whispers about what was written in that journal, the one Frank had found that ultimately cleared Joe of the murder charges. Her blood ran cold knowing how much Taylor hated Joe, how badly he wanted revenge. What if he planned the ultimate revenge? The revenge no one could prevent or stop. What if Chris Taylor was HIV positive? What if he raped Vanessa with the hope of infecting her too? Hoping she would pass it along to Joe. The ultimate revenge. The one fear she never, ever shared with anyone, not even Joe. Especially not Joe.

Tomorrow she would go to her doctor for a three-month check up, which would include a blood test. They wouldn't know the results for at least a week, he had warned her. She had already begun praying for a negative result even though she knew it was no guarantee. It would be a good sign, the doctor had told her, but the real test would come at six months. The majority of people who had been infected with HIV would test positive by six months. A negative result at the six month mark would allow her to breathe a little easier, but still no guarantees. Not for a year.

Vanessa smiled a bitter little smile for Chris Taylor. If that really were his plan, it wouldn't work. She and Joe had been religious about making all the changes in their lives that were absolutely necessary to protect Joe from contracting HIV if indeed she had been infected.

_'Sorry, Taylor. You lose and we win…again.'_

Vanessa stood and took one last look at the stars before turning and making her way inside, wanting to spend the rest of the evening curled up in Joe's arms. Maybe they could make the magic last until morning.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to Phoenix, Cheryl, Polaris, TraSan, josie, pally, MissMe113, Miss Fenway, dazzling vampire, Helen and Alicia for the wonderful reviews. :-)

**Trust**

**Chapter 3**

Joe sat in the waiting room, mindlessly flipping through a magazine. Frustrated, he threw it down on the table and checked his watch again. He noted, with disgust, that it was exactly one and a half minutes later than the last time he had looked. Sighing, he got up and walked to the window. Gazing out into the overcast morning sky, his mind started to wander, aimless thoughts of the past few months flitting in and out of conscious thought.

_'No!'_ Joe thought, forcibly refocusing on the present.

Joe had learned the hard way if he didn't control those aimless, wandering thoughts they could send him spiraling right back into a depression so deep, escape seemed impossible. He hadn't seen the connection right away; in fact, he hadn't seen the connection at all - Vanessa had. Right after Joe had started daily therapy sessions, Vanessa noticed that whenever he let his mind wander and seemed "lost in thought", he would be quickly ensconced in a deep depression that could sometimes last for days.

Although Joe still didn't know what might trigger those thoughts, he did know if he didn't stop them before they had a chance to take control of him, he would be swallowed up in their darkness. He couldn't afford that today, not when Vanessa needed him to be strong. She had put on a brave front that morning, but Joe knew she was terrified. The worst possible outcome of this appointment had shown itself to both of them during the night in their dreams. Joe shivered as he recalled the worst of the dreams that had invaded his sleep.

"_I'm sorry. It's positive. You have HIV," the doctor told Vanessa, sympathetically, then turned to Joe. "It would be a good idea for you to be tested right away. I'll go make the arrangements."_

Joe had awakened shaking, in a cold sweat. It had taken him almost a full minute to convince himself that it had just been a dream - a very realistic dream - but a dream none-the-less. After that one he didn't bother going back to sleep.

Shaking his head, he turned away from the window and was relieved to finally see Vanessa walking towards him. Joe smiled at her but stayed where he was, hands in his pockets. He vividly recalled how he tried to hold and comfort her when she awoke screaming during the night only to have her pull away in fear, then apologize profusely fearing she had hurt his feelings. He waited for Vanessa to make the first move, if indeed there would even be one. As Vanessa put her arms around his neck, Joe breathed a sigh of relief and slipped his arms about her, holding her close.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Mm-hmm," came the muffled reply.

A moment later, Vanessa lifted her head and looked at him. "The results will be back sometime next week."

Her eyes were red but she was smiling that smile, the one that said no matter how bad things got, she wasn't going to let this control her - _she_ was going to control _it_. Taking Joe's hand, she led him out the door. Looking up, Joe noted that the clouds had vanished as if by magic and the only thing that remained was the sun shining down out of a brilliant blue sky.

_'Maybe it's an omen,'_ he thought hopefully, squeezing Vanessa's hand. _'That everything will turn out all right.'_

oooOOOooo

Fenton Hardy looked up from the file he was studying as Joe entered his office.

"Hello," Fenton greeted his son with a warm smile.

"Hi, Dad," Joe replied, forcing a little smile for his father's benefit. "Fed Ex guy was at the door when I got here." Joe tossed an envelope onto his father's desk.

Fenton glanced at the envelope then pushed it aside, more concerned with his youngest son. He had gotten used to seeing Joe return from his morning therapy sessions rather subdued, but today he seemed even more distant and preoccupied than usual. Fenton nodded at an empty chair, indicating Joe should have a seat.

"Tough one today?" he asked gently. He knew Joe had accompanied Vanessa to the doctor prior to his going to therapy that morning and wasn't sure which one was responsible for his current mood.

"No worse than usual," Joe replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "But thanks for asking. Vanessa had an appointment with Dr. Jackson this morning. I went with her."

"Frank told me. Everything's okay?"

"So far. But the results of the blood test won't be back for at least a week." Joe met his father's steady gaze, voicing his biggest fear. "I'm scared to death it'll be positive."

Fenton stood up and walked around the desk, pulling up a chair next to Joe. Watching as Joe stared down at his own hands clasped in his lap, Fenton realized he had no idea how to comfort his son. He had always thought that by the time Frank and Joe had reached their twenties, the dispensing of deep fatherly advice would be minimal at best. The events of the past few months had quickly taught him otherwise.

Silently, Fenton reached up and rubbed Joe's back reassuringly_. 'He's only twenty-three. He should be thinking about his wedding, where to go on his honeymoon, planning a life – a __future__ - with Vanessa. He shouldn't have to worry about whether or not they'll even have a future!" _Fenton thought bitterly.

Truth was, Fenton knew exactly how Joe felt. He had lost count of the nights he had been rudely awakened by his own personal version of this nightmare. The nightmare that never changed. The nightmare in which Joe tearfully told his parents he was HIV positive, having contracted it from Vanessa. Shaking his head forcefully, as if that would rid him of the awful image, Fenton pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on his son.

"I understand how scared you are, Joe," Fenton said gently. "But right now, today, as far as you know, Vanessa is healthy."

Joe nodded silently.

"Then focus on that. Grab it and hold on to it. You can't change the outcome of the test by worrying about it."

Joe looked up at his father, his blue eyes clouded with doubt.

"If you can't do it for yourself, Joe, do it for Vanessa. I promise you, if you'll be there for Vanessa, I'll be here for you."

Joe stared intently at his father, absorbing every word he had said. At last he finally smiled, sincere and from the heart. "Thanks, Dad."

…

Standing in the doorway, Frank watched the last of the exchange between Joe and their father, relieved to see his brother smiling again.

"Hey, Joe, Mom saved you some lunch. I told her I'd be happy to eat it since you were late but she insisted it was yours." Frank said entering the office. He walked to the desk and placed a plate with two sandwiches and some chips in front of his brother along with a glass of iced tea.

"Thanks," Joe smiled. "I'm starved."

"No surprise there." Frank rolled his eyes, taking the seat his father had just vacated. "What's that, Dad?" Frank asked noticing his father examining the contents of the envelope Joe had dropped on his desk a few moments earlier.

Fenton smiled broadly and held up a letter and three tickets.

"What are they for?" Frank asked, squinting to make out the writing on the tickets.

"Next Thursday's Yankees game," Fenton replied, looking at Joe. "Right behind home plate."

Joe attempted to say something and immediately started coughing, hampered by the sandwich he was eating.

"Easy, bro," Frank laughed, slapping him on the back a few times. "Here take a drink." He offered his brother the glass of iced tea.

Joe took it gratefully, gulping down several mouthfuls. "Home plate?" he repeated, excitedly. "Who are they from?"

"Enrico Rinaldi," Fenton replied with the name of a client whose case had recently been wrapped up. He read from the letter that had accompanied the tickets. _"I can't thank you enough for rooting out the employees who were embezzling from my company. Without you and your sons, I would be facing bankruptcy. Please accept these as a small token of my gratitude."_

"All right! Boys night out!" Frank cheered, as Fenton laughed at his son's enthusiasm.

"They're for next Thursday?" Joe asked, his excitement starting to falter.

"Yes," Fenton nodded, rechecking the date. "Next Thursday. Why? Do you already have plans?"

"Well, no. Not exactly. It's just that…" Joe's voice trailed off. He saw how excited Frank and his father were about the three of them spending the evening out together and felt guilty that he would have to disappoint them.

"Just what?" Frank pressed. He knew how much fun Joe would have at the game and fun was something that had been sorely lacking in his brother's life recently. "Come on, Joe. You, me and Dad at a Yankees game! Just like when we were kids! What could be better than that?"

"Nothing that I can think of," Joe agreed, dejectedly.

"So what's the problem?"

Joe sighed heavily. "I can't leave Vanessa alone for the night just to go to a ball game. I'm sorry, but I can't. She puts up a good front. She wants everyone to think she's gotten over…it…what happened…" Joe stopped for a moment, realizing that three months later he still couldn't bring himself to say the word. "But she hasn't. And Vanessa comes first…_always_."

Frank and his father exchanged a worried glance. They both knew a night out would do Joe a world of good, but they also knew he would never leave Vanessa alone no matter how badly he wanted to spend time with his father and brother.

"Can't you ask Andrea to come over and stay with her for the evening?" Frank suggested, hopefully.

Joe shook his head no. "Andrea is leaving for Los Angeles on Friday. One of the networks wants her to do another cartoon series. She'll be there all next week. If I tell Vanessa about the game, she'll insist that I go; insist that she'll be fine alone. But she won't. And I couldn't enjoy myself knowing that," Joe concluded, sadly. "Maybe Mom or Callie would like to go."

"Maybe Vanessa could stay here while we're at the game," Frank offered up another option.

"I'm sure your mother would love to have her over," Fenton said, desperate to get Joe to agree to go with them. "She'll be perfectly safe here, Joe. You won't have to worry about a thing."

"Dad's right. I'll bet Callie would love to join them, too. They can discuss all those wedding plans you love hearing so much about," Frank teased his younger brother. "At least think about it, ok?"

"Okay, okay. I'll talk to Van tonight," Joe replied, thinking maybe he was overreacting just a little bit. After all, what could possibly happen to Vanessa at his parents' house?

oooOOOooo

The two men pored over the photographs laid out on the table in front of them, examining each one carefully.

"These six here," one man said, pointing to the photos he wanted. "Crop out as much as you can. Just focus on the two of them. Frank Hardy isn't stupid. If too much of the background is left in, he'll recognize where they were taken immediately. It'll blow the whole plan."

"I'll take care of it," the second man replied.

"Let me check them over when you're done. Then you can superimpose the image." He leaned back in the chair and clasped his hands behind his head. "If Hardy only knew how easy he made this for us. I couldn't have set him up better myself."


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to all who have taken the time to leave a review. :-) This chapter should answer all your questions about those pesky guys with the camera. ;-)

**Trust**

**Chapter 4**

Callie pulled into the driveway and turned off the car, so glad it was finally Friday. While spending the previous weekend in New York City had been fun and exciting, it was also exhausting trying to keep up with Joe and Vanessa.

_'Exhausting, but worth it,'_ she smiled to herself.

Joe and Vanessa had been so happy; so relaxed. She almost didn't want it to end and could see in their eyes they didn't either.

_'Yes,'_ she thought, recalling how much fun they'd had. _'It was worth every lost wink of sleep.'_

Having had an extremely hectic week of work, Callie was looking forward to doing absolutely nothing except relaxing with Frank for the next two days. Getting out of the car, she walked to the front door, stopping to retrieve the mail before going inside. Kicking off her shoes, she padded into the kitchen and stopped to get a glass of iced tea, before continuing out onto the deck. Throwing the stack of mail on the little table beside her, Callie sat down to enjoy the unseasonably warm spring evening. Gazing out onto the large backyard, she couldn't believe how lucky she was.

_'Blessed,'_ she thought gratefully. _'I've been so blessed.'_

Looking at the flowers beginning to bloom in the garden and the newly sprouted leaves on the trees, Callie looked forward to a new season as she thought pleasantly about the past, recalling when she and Frank had first started dating. She had developed a crush on him the first time she saw him, as had many other girls at Bayport High, and couldn't believe he even noticed her, let alone asked her out. Callie had fallen for him hard and fast and remembered, somewhat sheepishly, the countless hours she had spent fantasizing about marriage and raising a family with Frank when she was supposed to be studying.

Enjoying her trip back in time, she vividly recalled the day she had first seen this house. It was the house she saw in her fantasies and dreams. Many nights she had lain in bed, picturing herself, Frank and their children in this very house. She had been stunned when one day shortly before their wedding, a "For Sale" sign went up in front of the house, almost as if fate were stepping in to make all her dreams come true. When she shared her well-kept secret of so many years with Frank, he somehow managed to buy the house, surprising her with the news on their wedding day.

Since that day, Callie had lost count of the hours she spent sitting on the deck, gazing out over the yard, imagining the children who would one day play there. Whenever she asked him, Frank always insisted he didn't care if they had boys or girls as long as their children were healthy and happy. While she kept it a closely guarded secret, Callie longed for two boys, close in age, who would share the same special bond that Frank and Joe did. If that dream did indeed come true, as so many others had, she would make one change - she hoped her sons would not follow their father, uncle and grandfather into the "family business".

Callie had never thought much about it until she and Frank were married and began talking about raising a family. But once they did, she found her respect for Laura Hardy grew immeasurably. Callie shuddered wondering how she would react, as a mother, to some of the situations Frank and Joe had found themselves in over the years.

_'Joe.'_

She smiled, thinking fondly of her impulsive brother-in-law. Their relationship had been antagonistic, to say the least, for many years. Somewhere between high school and college she had finally admitted to herself she was quite jealous of Joe's close relationship with his brother. Frank's fiercely over-protective attitude when it came to anything having to do with Joe only fed her jealousy. Being an only child, she couldn't even begin to understand the intense bond the brothers shared.

However, as she got to know Joe better over the years, she found she genuinely liked him and his fun loving, throw caution to the wind, view of life. There were even a few times she wished Frank had inherited a little of Joe's free-spirited personality. One day Callie surprised herself when she realized she now thought of Joe as the kid brother she always wished she had.

With a sudden chill, she thought back on the weeks after Vanessa had been raped and Joe had been arrested and tried for murder. While Frank had been trying to sort out his emotions during that time, Callie stepped in and tried to be there for Joe. That was when she finally learned why Frank always felt so over-protective of his younger brother. During the trial Callie had seen a side of Joe, a very vulnerable side, that she never knew existed.

Ever since that time, she felt almost as protective of Joe as Frank did. Joe _and_ Vanessa. The both of them had been through so much recently. Too much, really. Yet, they appeared to the world to be handling all of it beautifully. Callie suspected that, at day's end, they turned to each other for comfort thinking, incorrectly, that they had already been too much of a burden on their family and friends. It did not go unnoticed by the people who loved them that, as time went on, they seemed to keep their troubled feelings to themselves more and more. In spite of all that, Callie vowed to continue to offer her unconditional love and support and do her best to protect them from the curves life seemed intent at throwing at the young couple.

Feeling much more relaxed than she had upon arriving home, Callie reached for the stack of mail and lazily began to flip through it.

_'Bills, catalogs, junk mail…what's this?'_

Callie stopped when she came to a large manila envelope addressed to her. Looking at the corner, she saw there was no return address. The postmark showed it had been sent from New York City. Intrigued, Callie opened the envelope and pulled out several 8x10 photographs. As she flipped through the pictures, she could feel the color drain from her face. Stunned, she stared at them, unblinking. When her mind finally acknowledged what her eyes were seeing, she dropped the pictures on the table, pulling her hand away quickly. Her mouth was suddenly very dry and she could feel her heart racing. Reaching forward, she gingerly picked up the pictures again and forced herself to look at them closely.

Yes, that was she in the photos, but the man…the man holding her so closely, caressing her, nuzzling her neck, kissing her passionately…the man was _not_ Frank! She stared at the face of the man who could be clearly seen in some of the pictures and began to panic. With reddish blonde hair and hazel eyes, he stared back at her.

_'Who __IS__ that?! I've never seen him before in my life? Where did these pictures come_ _from?!'_

The sudden ringing of the phone she had brought outside, startled her to the point that she actually jumped.

"Hello?" Callie answered, her voice shaking just a little.

"Mrs. Hardy? Mrs. Callie Hardy?" a male voice asked, a little too cordially.

"Speaking," Callie replied, suddenly filled with apprehension.

"You've had a chance to look at the photographs?"

Callie gasped her eyes immediately darting around the yard. _'My_ _God, am I being_ _watched?'_

"Who is this?" she demanded.

"It's impolite to answer a question with a question, Mrs. Hardy. Have you looked at the photographs yet?"

"Who are you? And who is the man in these pictures?"

"You mean it's not your husband?" the man chuckled.

Callie's blood ran cold as she looked at the pictures again. They had to have been computer generated or at least Photo-shopped.

"I've never seen this man before in my life. These pictures have been altered or fabricated completely," Callie said, evenly.

"Really? And your husband would believe that?" the man asked.

"Of course he would!"

"You're sure?"

"Yes!" she snapped, getting angry. "I'm positive."

"I admire your faith in him. Especially since it wasn't so long ago that he refused to believe his younger brother - Joe, isn't it? - when Joe insisted he did not murder the man who raped his fiancée. And I understand Frank is very close to his brother. But if you're certain about it, then surely you won't mind if we send your husband a few photos."

Callie gasped out loud, certain her heart had stopped. Who _was_ this man and how did he know so much about them?

"Mrs. Hardy? Are you still there?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

"As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Now, I'm not trying to tell you what to do, mind you, but if you are willing to risk your marriage - well, that's up to you."

Callie's head was pounding. Frank would believe her…wouldn't he? Of course he would! But then again, he _had_ thought Joe was capable of murder, at least for a day or so, no matter how vehemently Joe had professed his innocence. Frank _hadn't_ believed him, at least not initially. Callie looked at the pictures again and her eyes began to burn.

'_If he didn't believe Joe…'_

"What do you want?" Callie asked as a tear trickled down her cheek.

"A file," the man said simply. "Your husband, his brother and their father placed an informant in the Witness Protection Program. They are his only contact with his former life. I want the file on him that contains his new identity."

"You…you want me to steal a file from my husband?" Callie asked, incredulous.

"Yes, I do."

Callie remained silent, trying to digest this information.

"If it's any consolation you're not condemning an innocent man. He was a drug dealer. When your husband and his brother went undercover and broke up the drug cartel, this man turned state's evidence in exchange for immunity," the man said, contempt evident in his voice.

Callie closed her eyes recalling the case Frank and Joe had worked on the previous summer. She remembered, as if it were yesterday, when the headquarters of the drug cartel had been raided. In the chaos and confusion, Frank had been shot by one of the government agents participating in the raid who didn't realize Frank was working undercover for the government. She recalled the frantic phone call she had gotten from Joe and could still hear the terror in his voice as he told her Frank had been rushed to the hospital.

'_Frank, __would__ you believe me? You __didn't__ believe Joe. At least not at first…you wouldn't even give him the benefit of the doubt. Would you do it for me?'_ Callie's heart ached. _'I know I could convince you… __eventually__. But would our marriage survive?'_

"What's his name?" Callie said, hoarsely.

"Travers. Gary Travers. At least it was."

"I…I don't know where he would keep something like that," Callie said honestly.

"I'm sure you can find out. So I can expect your cooperation?"

Callie's lip quivered as she remembered how Joe begged Frank to believe him, to believe he was telling the truth regardless of what Frank thought he saw. Glancing at the photographs still in her hand, Callie was no longer sure she trusted Frank to believe her when he would be staring at a picture – several pictures – that would convince him to believe otherwise.

'_He was a drug dealer. In a way, he's responsible for Frank being shot. And he got off scot-free,' _Callie thought, desperately trying to talk herself into something she instinctively knew was wrong. "Yes," she replied quietly, feeling sick to her stomach.

"Good. I'll contact you Monday."

"Monday?!" Callie cried out. "That's only two days away!"

"I'm sure you'll have it by then," the man said confidently. "If not, your husband will have some new pictures to add to the family album by Tuesday," he concluded and hung up.

Listening to the dial tone and staring blankly into the yard, Callie wondered if her blessings and good luck had finally run out.

--

**A/N:** Just FYI, Callie is one of my favorite characters in Hardy-land. This is NOT a 'Callie bashing' story, so if that is what you are hoping for, I'm afraid you will be disappointed. She does make mistakes and has to pay the price for those mistakes but she is not the 'bad guy', nor will she turn into one. This story is not about having Callie 'go bad'. It is about relationships and how one wrong decision – and NOT necessarily the one made by Callie in this story – can have a huge ripple effect on so many people.

I know that a lot of people on this site dislike Callie and would prefer to see Frank with Nancy. I am not one of those people. Just FYI… ;-)


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I'm not entirely sure this is how the Witness Protection Program really works but this is how I needed it to work for the story. So if I'm wrong, let's just pretend! ;-)

Wow, I had no idea there were so many people who either actually liked Callie, or at least didn't mind her! :-) I guess the Frank/Nancy lovers are just a lot more vocal than we are. LOL!

Thanks for all the reviews. Hope everyone who is reading continues to enjoy the story.

And thank YOU, josie for this: "thank you for "feeling sick to her stomach" lol. She doesn't want to, but she thinks she has to, and she would feel bad about it... very good :)" That is EXACTLY what I was hoping to get across. She's reacting like a scared animal who has been cornered by a very real threat.

**Trust**

**Chapter 5**

Standing in the driveway, Callie closed the trunk of her car. She had just hidden the pictures in the emergency kit she kept in the trunk. It was the only place she could think of that she was certain Frank would never need to look in. She had wandered all over the house holding the pictures, looking for a safe place to hide them and found none. It was totally irrational, but she felt even having the pictures in her house – her dream house – somehow defiled it. She finally decided it was best not to keep them in the house at all and settled on the trunk of her car. She honestly couldn't remember the last time Frank had even driven her car, let alone rummaged through the trunk for anything.

Just as she was about to head back into the house, Frank pulled into the driveway. Taking a deep breath and hoping he wouldn't pick up on her nervousness, she waited for him.

"Hey," she smiled at him as he emerged from the car. "You're home early."

"I know. Can you believe it? Apparently there is no crime in Bayport today," he joked, scooping her up into his arms and hugging her tightly. "I missed you."

"Mmmm. I missed you too." Pulling back, she looked at him and smiled, hoping her eyes wouldn't give her away. Frank could read her like a book and always seemed to know when something was bothering her.

"You okay?" he asked softly, touching her cheek.

"Fine," she lied. "Just tired, that's all. I still haven't recovered from trying to keep up with Joe and Vanessa last weekend."

"You?!" Frank exclaimed. "_You_ weren't the one who got conned into racing to the top of the Statue of Liberty!" As he steered Callie towards the house, he kissed the top of her head. "I'm looking forward to two days of relaxing with my beautiful wife."

"I hope you told the criminals you were taking the weekend off. Somehow they always seem to know when you're looking forward to some downtime," Callie joked, walking through the door as Frank held it open for her.

"Don't worry, I circulated a memo. Oh…" he stopped short, looking at Callie a little apologetically. "I know we planned to spend the entire weekend alone together but Mom wants us to go to dinner at their house tomorrow night. I sort of told her we would. I think everything that's happened lately really spooked her. By the time she asked me, Joe had already said yes…"

"What a surprise," Callie said, dryly. "Like he'd pass up a chance for one of your mother's home cooked meals."

"Yeah, well, since he had already agreed I couldn't really say no. Sorry, Babe."

"That's okay. We've still got most of the weekend to ourselves." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "So let's not waste a minute of it, all right?"

"You read my mind," Frank murmured returning the kiss.

As he pulled away and stared silently into her eyes, Callie felt as if a knife were being plunged into her heart. His eyes shone with love. Even if she showed him the pictures immediately and explained everything to him, even if he did believe her, he was only human. His initial gut reaction to the pictures would be hurt and betrayal and she never wanted to see that look in his eyes. Never wanted to be the cause of it. Yet, if she failed in her attempt to steal the file, he would see the pictures anyway _and_ be faced with her deception. An even worse scenario.

'_Now I understand what it means to be stuck between a rock and a hard place,'_ Callie thought, wondering why life's good fortune had suddenly stopped shining on her.

oooOOOooo

Later that evening, Callie and Frank sat on the couch, snuggled together watching one of Frank's favorite news magazine shows before heading up to bed. Staring at the screen in stunned silence, Callie couldn't believe her ears.

"Next up, a behind the scenes look at the government's highly secretive Witness Protection Program."

All evening Callie had been trying to think of a way to pump Frank for information on the Witness Protection Program without arousing his suspicions, which she had concluded would be just about impossible. Not one to pass up the opportunity luck had just dropped in her lap, she turned to look at Frank.

"So have you ever had to put anyone in the Witness Protection Program?" she asked hoping she sounded appropriately naïve. Holding her breath, she waited for Frank's reply knowing he was never supposed to reveal any information about such incidents.

"Only once," he said, without hesitation.

Keeping her face neutral, Callie felt as if something inside her had died. Frank trusted her so completely he had answered her question without thinking twice about it.

"Hmmm. How does that work? I mean don't you have to give the person a new identity?"

"Yeah, that's basically it. They get a whole new identity and a whole new life. They always have one person, though, who knows about both their old identity and their new one. Although in our case it's two people - Joe and me."

"But if the point is for them to no longer exist and start a whole new life as a completely different person, why do they need to be able to have a contact for their old life?" Callie asked, hoping she sounded only mildly interested.

"Sometimes they may be put in the program to protect them from one person. If that person dies, they can go back to their old life. Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances where information might need to be passed to or from a family member they left behind."

"Oh. So how do you keep track of all that information? You can't possibly keep it all up there." Callie smiled, tapping a finger on Frank's forehead. "Can you?"

"No," Frank laughed. "I have a file on the guy. Half a file, actually."

"Half a file? What good does half a file do?" Callie asked, puzzled.

"It doesn't do any good. And that's the point. It's for security purposes."

"I'm confused."

"I have a file that contains half of the information on this guy. Joe has the other half. Even if someone managed to steal one of the files, it would be useless to them without the other half."

"Wouldn't it be kind of obvious that only half the information was there?"

"No. A lot of the information is in code. If you read either file, it makes perfect sense and appears to be complete. So even if someone stole one of the files, and somehow managed to break the code, it still wouldn't do them any good."

"I see. Pretty devious. So this is a computer file?" Callie pressed, hoping she wasn't making Frank's radar go off.

"No. Believe it or not, it's an old fashioned paper file locked in the file cabinet," he grinned.

"Really! Why is that?"

"Hackers!" Frank laughed. "Too easy for the enemy to find it on a computer!"

Callie winced inwardly at Frank's lighthearted comment, realizing she was now 'the enemy'. As Frank returned his attention to the television, increasing the volume slightly, Callie felt an ache deep in her heart. Frank obviously trusted her completely and unconditionally.

'_How can I possibly go through with this?_' she thought, studying Frank's handsome features, as he concentrated on what the announcer was saying. Suddenly the images of the pictures she had received flashed across her mind. _'How can I NOT go through with it?'_

Staring at the screen in front of her, feeling Frank's arms wrapped so securely around her, Callie feigned great interest in the unfolding story, praying Frank wouldn't notice her failed effort to hold back the tears.


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks so much to all those who have reviewed. Hope all who are reading continue to enjoy. :-)

**Trust **

**Chapter 6**

Callie stood in the doorway, eyes scanning the small bedroom Frank had converted into an office. Desk, phone, computer, FAX, scanner, printer and two filing cabinets. Taking a deep breath, Callie moved to the first filing cabinet, the hairpin in her hand suddenly feeling very heavy. Praying she had seen Frank and Joe do this enough times to have learned, she inserted the hairpin into the lock on the file cabinet, jiggling it to and fro. To her utter amazement, the lock popped open almost immediately.

Opening the top drawer, Callie pulled out a handful of files and began to read, thankful Frank had decided to keep a paper file on Gary Travers rather than a computer file. She was suddenly overcome with guilt as she recalled Frank's lighthearted reply when she had asked why he didn't keep these types of files on the computer.

_"Hackers!"_ he had laughed. _"Too easy for the enemy to find it on a computer!"_

_'If only he knew he was living with the enemy,'_ Callie thought as a single tear fell onto the paper in her hand.

Forty-five minutes later, Callie was starting to panic. Frank would be back from his morning run any minute and she still hadn't found the file. This was going to be the only time she had to look for it as, aside from dinner at his parents house this evening, she and Frank planned to spend the entire weekend alone together. In lieu of his daily run, Frank had suggested they take an early morning bike ride along the beach the following day. Callie realized she and Frank would be inseparable for the rest of the weekend.

With shaking hands, she desperately searched the last few files and finally struck gold. Studying the file on a man named Roger Thornton, she was struck by how utterly ordinary the man was. He appeared to be the most boring person on the planet and completely out of place in the files of a private investigator. Roger Thornton had no criminal history what so ever. He had never committed a crime, never been accused of a crime, never been the victim of a crime, never been witness to a crime. Other than one speeding ticket, the man was squeaky clean. There was absolutely no reason she could see as to why a private investigator would have a file - a very extensive file - on this man. Checking the dates, she saw they were very close to the dates the drug cartel had been brought to trial.

_'This is it! It has to be!'_ Callie thought. She hadn't come across any other file that could even remotely be considered someone who had been given a new identity. Every other file in the cabinet had a very distinct reason for being there…except this one.

Returning the rest of the files to the drawer, Callie locked the cabinet and quickly retreated to her bedroom. Opening her briefcase, she placed Roger Thornton's file inside. Just as she snapped it shut, she heard the front door open and Frank's voice echoed up the stairs.

"Cal? I'm home!"

oooOOOooo

Later that evening Callie sat in the living room of Fenton and Laura Hardy. Dinner was long since finished and coffee and dessert were now being enjoyed as Joe entertained everyone with an animated recount of the previous weekend. Joe was currently regaling his parents with a blow-by-blow description of his race to the top of the Statue of Liberty with Frank, as Laura and Vanessa looked through the pictures Callie had taken throughout the weekend.

Listening half-heartedly, Callie suddenly became aware of someone staring at her. Turning her head slightly, she saw Frank looking back at her, mild concern in his deep brown eyes.

"Are you feeling all right?" he asked softly. "You're awfully quiet tonight."

"Just a little tired," Callie lied, guilt consuming her once again. How could she tell Frank her reticence was because she was finding it difficult to come to terms with what she had done that morning? Lying, stealing, keeping secrets - had any marriage survived such crushing weight?

"Wow! What a babe! Isn't she a famous model?" Joe exclaimed staring at the picture in his hand.

"_Joe!!_" Vanessa protested, blushing furiously.

Joe turned the picture around so everyone could see it. Callie found it was a photo she had taken of Vanessa the night they all went dancing.

"He's right, Vanessa," Callie smiled at her friend. "You could be a model."

"Oh, please," Vanessa rolled her eyes, her cheeks still red amidst the murmurs of agreement from everyone in the room. "I think you're all a little biased."

"Doesn't matter," Joe said as he leaned in and kissed her cheek. "You're still gorgeous. Always will be, too."

As the pictures were passed among the group, Frank addressed his brother.

"Hey, Joe, tell Dad about the mystery of Ellis Island."

Listening to Joe tell his parents the story of the unsolved fire, Callie found she was starting to relax a little. She had to admit when Joe was in top form, as he was tonight, he was a master storyteller. Even though she had already heard this story, Callie found she was once again entranced as Joe used just the right gestures or voice inflection to make the story come alive.

As he completed the tale silence befell the room, broken a moment later by Laura Hardy. Looking from Joe to Frank to her husband, Laura's blue eyes sparkled just as mischievously as Joe's so often did.

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it," she intoned mimicking the tag line of the old Mission Impossible TV series, "is to solve the mystery of the Ellis Island fire."

While it was now Frank and Fenton's turn to blush, Joe was more than ready to accept the challenge.

"Hey, what's so funny? We could do it!" Joe challenged his father and brother. "Come on, we're the infamous Hardys - there's no mystery we can't solve…eventually!"

"Your lack of confidence is showing again, Babe," Vanessa teased.

As Frank put an arm around Callie, she settled back into his warm embrace, more relaxed than she had been since prior to receiving the chilling phone call the previous evening. Snuggling close, Callie rested her head on Frank's shoulder, content to watch the playful, yet loving, exchange between Joe and Vanessa. Pushing her own problems to the back of her mind, Callie said a little prayer of thanks that the old Joe and Vanessa that everyone had missed so terribly the past three months were finally starting to reappear, even if only sporadically. Deciding to focus on the present, Callie spent the rest of the evening thoroughly enjoying the company of the people she loved.

oooOOOooo

It was late Monday afternoon when Callie nervously glanced at the clock on the wall of her office. Four-forty-five and she had yet to hear from the mysterious man who had called her Friday evening.

_'Maybe he changed his mind. Maybe he found the guy on his own and doesn't need the file anymore,'_ she thought grasping at straws. _'I can put it back when I get home. Frank will never know.' _

_"Callie, you have a call on line one. He wouldn't give his name,"_ a voice announced through the intercom, startling Callie.

"Thanks," Callie replied. Taking a deep breath, she pressed the button and picked up the phone. "Callie Hardy."

"Mrs. Hardy?" a man asked. Callie's heart stopped as she recognized the voice.

"Yes."

"You have the file?"

"Yes," Callie replied, gripping the phone tightly.

"It's such a beautiful evening. When you leave work, why don't you take a walk down by the docks and enjoy the warm weather. Stroll all the way to the end of the docks. Leave the file on the bench at the end of the pier and then leave…_immediately_. Do you understand, Mrs. Hardy?"

"Yes," Callie whispered. "I understand." Hearing the dial tone, Callie felt sick as she hung up the phone and prepared to leave work for the day.


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you_ to all who are reading and to all those who have left such kind and encouraging comments. :-)

**Trust**

**Chapter 7**

Joe paced the floor in front of the living room window of his parents' house, blue eyes constantly scanning the road in front of the house.

"Is she late?" Frank asked, looking up from the newspaper at his obviously agitated brother.

"No," Joe mumbled, looking at his watch. "I just…worry…that's all."

"Why don't you call her?" Frank suggested, trying to think of something to calm his brother.

"I don't want her to think I'm checking up on her," Joe scowled at him. "Geez, she'll think I don't trust her or something."

"Or something," Frank murmured.

"What? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Maybe she'll just think you love her," Frank smiled, encouragingly.

Joe stared at his brother a moment before a small smile played at his lips. "Maybe," he agreed, ruefully, reaching for his cell phone.

Just then, Joe saw Vanessa pull up in front of the house. Exiting her Jeep, she hurried to the front door where Joe was waiting for her. He noted she was just returning her cell phone to her purse. As she looked at him, Joe saw that her eyes were red; she had been crying.

"Dr. Jackson just called," Vanessa said breathlessly, throwing her arms around Joe's neck. Pulling her into him, Joe could feel her shaking, hear her crying softly.

'_The blood test! The dream!! Oh God, she's positive! She has HIV!'_ Joe thought, stricken.

Watching the couple, Frank hoped against hope that Vanessa had been crying happy tears. Feeling the presence of someone next to him, he turned and saw his parents.

"Dr. Jackson called her," Frank said in a very low voice, responding to his father's raised eyebrows.

"What?" Frank heard Joe say, apparently not understanding whatever Vanessa had told him.

Pulling away, Vanessa looked Joe in the eye and broke into a smile. "Negative," she repeated. "My blood test was negative."

Not bothering to try to hide his own tears, Joe scooped her up into his arms, holding her tightly. Frank stepped forward and kissed Vanessa on the cheek.

"Congratulations," he said, smiling at her. Patting Joe on the shoulder, Frank turned and followed his parents back towards the kitchen, giving Joe and Vanessa a few moments alone.

oooOOOooo

An hour later, Laura Hardy glanced around the dinner table at her family, listening to the affectionate teasing between her sons and gave a silent prayer of thanks. Many times over the past few months she had achingly recalled similar family gatherings and had been afraid that was the only place they would occur – in her memory. Catching her husband doing the same thing, she smiled at him, getting a wink in return.

For the past week, Fenton had talked about nothing but taking Frank and Joe to the Yankees game tonight. She knew her husband had been having almost as difficult a time adjusting to the events of the past few months as Joe and Vanessa had. His worst nightmare, the one Fenton had thought was long dead and buried, had suddenly been re-ignited. He had doused the flames but they still smoldered whenever he saw the haunted look that still occasionally flickered in his youngest son's eyes. Laura found she could not recall the last time the men in her family had spent any significant amount of time together outside of work. She secretly hoped tonight would be the first of many such outings.

Selfishly, Laura was glad they would be gone for the evening as she was looking forward to immersing herself in the details of Joe and Vanessa's upcoming wedding. Having two sons, Laura had resigned herself to the fact that if and when they did get married, she would most likely be relegated to planning the rehearsal dinner and nothing more. She had been terribly excited when Callie and her mother had included Laura in every aspect of planning Frank and Callie's wedding. Knowing her youngest son, she was fairly sure Joe would not be as active in his wedding plans as Frank had been in his own nuptials and assumed she, in turn, would be minimally involved. When Vanessa had asked for her help in planning the wedding, she had been thrilled beyond words.

Laura, Vanessa and Andrea had just begun to discuss the wedding plans when Vanessa had been raped. In the weeks that followed, Andrea confided to Laura that she feared Vanessa had become so depressed and withdrawn that she might actually call off the wedding. It had been another tense month or so before Joe's murder trial had concluded and Vanessa finally resumed talking about it.

Returning her attention to her family, Laura heard Frank teasingly interrogating Joe about the extent of his involvement in the wedding plans.

"So, little brother, what exactly have you done to help Vanessa with the wedding plans?" Frank teased.

"Hey, I've been involved right from the start!" Joe replied defensively, earning him raised eyebrows from one and all. "I bought the ring!" he said triumphantly, holding Vanessa's left hand aloft.

Frank rolled his eyes. "And what have you done since then?" he challenged Joe. "Met with the caterer? The florist? Checked out a few possible sites for the reception?" Frank pressed his brother, throwing out just a few of the hundreds of details that would need to be attended to.

"Not exactly," Joe admitted.

"Oh. So, you've looked at the hundreds of different kinds of invitations? Table centerpieces? Favors? Registered for wedding gifts?" Frank grinned wickedly, rattling off a few more.

"_Favors_? I have to do favors for people who come to my wedding?" Joe said in shock.

"No, honey," Vanessa laughed. "They're like party favors. You leave them on the table for the guests to take home. As a memento."

"Oh. So what kind of favors are we giving out?" Joe asked warily.

"Don't worry," Vanessa patted his arm. "We haven't even started looking at those yet."

"See!" Joe smiled at his brother, smugly. "I haven't missed a thing!"

"Well, I did pick up sample menus from some caterers last week," Vanessa admitted.

"Caterers? What do we need a caterer for? Burgers and fries will be just fine."

"I think the meal at a wedding reception is supposed to be a little more haute cuisine," Fenton told his youngest son with a laugh. "And I believe you should have a minimum of two choices of entrée's?" he questioned looking at Vanessa.

"That's right," she replied, "and at least one vegetarian option."

"Okay," Joe acquiesced. "We'll have burgers, fries and vegetarian pizza!"

"Why do I get the feeling our wedding is going to be the one people will still be talking about years later?" Vanessa said shaking her head.

"Ah, don't worry, Babe. People will be begging for an invite to our wedding. It'll be the event of the year!" Joe told her with a wink.

Amidst the laughter, Joe leaned across the table towards Callie. "Uh, exactly how involved am I supposed to be in these wedding plans, anyway?"

"Don't lose any sleep over it, Joe. The only thing the groom is _really_ expected to do is show up and say his lines correctly," Callie reassured him.

"I do!" Joe exclaimed, looking at Vanessa. "See, I've been practicing." He smiled at her before leaning in for a kiss.

Joining in the laughter, Fenton Hardy looked at his watch. "We better get going," he said to Frank and Joe, pushing his chair back from the table.

As they all stood and moved away from the table, Joe enveloped Vanessa in a tight hug. "I love you, Babe," he whispered, kissing her neck. "See you in a few hours."

"Love you too," Vanessa replied, hugging him back tightly. "Have fun!" She pulled back, smiled at him and then watched until Joe disappeared out the front door, all the while talking excitedly to Frank and his father about the evening ahead.

oooOOOooo

Sitting with Laura and Vanessa poring over bridal magazines, Callie realized that for the first time, she hadn't given one thought to the shocking pictures she had received over a week ago. With a guilty conscience and a heavy heart, she had left the file at the exact spot designated by the mysterious caller on Monday night. She had expected new demands from the blackmailers each day, but she had not heard from them again. Deciding they really only wanted that one file, and were satisfied it contained all the information they needed even if they couldn't immediately understand it, she had finally started to relax for the first time in almost two weeks.

As the three women discussed the dizzying array of bridesmaid's dresses, the doorbell rang.

"Keep looking," Laura said excusing herself from the table and heading for the front door. "I'll be right back."

"I don't know which one I like better," Vanessa said, furrowing her brow. "This one… or this one," she finished, flipping a few of the pages back and forth.

Callie leaned in to get a closer look when she heard Laura returning to the dining room. Suddenly the hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she heard several sets of footsteps. Looking up, she gasped and clutched Vanessa's arm.

Laura had indeed returned to the dining room… accompanied by four men each armed with a gun.


	8. Chapter 8

**Trust**

**Chapter 8**

Laura, Callie and Vanessa were quickly surrounded, each held tightly by one of the gunmen while the fourth man stood silently in the doorway. The leader of the four, a dark haired young man with ice blue eyes, trained his gun on Laura but spoke directly to Callie.

"I am extremely disappointed in you, Callie. I thought we had an agreement."

Laura stared at Callie through narrowed blue eyes, trying to gauge just how deeply Callie was involved with these men. While Callie had been startled by the sudden invasion, she seemed to know exactly what this man was talking about. Hearing a very soft whimper, Laura shifted her gaze to Vanessa and her heart broke. While Vanessa was doing her best to stay calm, her blue-grey eyes were huge and filled with terror.

"We kept our part of the deal, Callie," the man continued. "Unfortunately, you didn't."

"Yes, I did," Callie whispered, purposely avoiding Laura's intense gaze.

"No, I'm afraid you didn't. The file is incomplete. Half of the information is missing. What we have is useless without the other half."

"What exactly are you talking about?" Laura demanded, angrily.

"Your daughter-in-law knows what I'm talking about," the man replied, never taking his eyes off Callie. "Now who has the other half – Fenton Hardy or Joe Hardy?"

Vanessa gasped at the mention of Joe's name and Laura was suddenly chilled to the bone. She prayed that whatever these men were after was in Fenton's possession. Instinctively, Laura knew they intended to take a hostage in order to get what they wanted and she was determined it would _not_ be Vanessa.

Staring intently at Callie, Laura practically willed Callie to turn and look at her. She had to get Callie to understand that no matter _who_ had the information this man wanted, it was imperative that Callie tell them Fenton had it. Looking at Vanessa once more, Laura knew if she were taken captive by these men, the repercussions would be devastating, for both Vanessa and Joe. From where she sat, Laura could see Vanessa was visibly shaking.

"Well?" the man pressed. Holding the gun to Laura's head, his eyes bored into Callie's. "Which one of them has the other half of the file?" he asked calmly.

_'How did they figure it out?'_ Callie panicked. _'Even I couldn't tell it wasn't complete and I __knew__ half of it was missing!'_

Callie heard the unmistakable click of the gun being cocked and looked from Laura, who was completely calm, to Vanessa who was on the verge of a breakdown. Callie could tell all she was thinking about was the rape. Even though she had made great strides in her recovery, and tried to make everyone think she had gotten over it, she still clung to Joe; still needed his presence to feel safe.

If Callie told them Joe had the other half of the file, what would they do? Kidnap Vanessa to trade in exchange for the file? Even if they never once touched her, that alone would destroy all the progress she had made. And Joe…

_'Even if he doesn't kill me, he'll never, ever forgive me. God, how did I get myself into this?'_

Tears formed in her eyes. Callie focused on the man who held the gun to Laura's head.

"What are you going to do if I tell you?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"Come on, you're not stupid. You know we'll need something - or rather someone - of value to trade for the file. Now you have ten seconds to tell me who has it. If not…" he tugged on Laura's hair for emphasis. "…she dies."

As frightened as Laura had to be, she never let it show.

"Joe," Callie whispered. "Joe has it."

Vanessa couldn't stop shaking, obviously knowing what was about to happen and fearing her worst nightmare was going to occur all over again. She never made a sound but the tears fell in a steady stream down her cheeks; there was no way she could live through that again. The man standing in the doorway pulled a rag and a small bottle out of his pocket and moved towards Vanessa.

"NO!" Laura shouted, frantically. "Please - don't touch her. If you need a hostage, take me… _please_!" she pleaded with them. "I'm Joe's mother. Do you really think he'd let me die over some stupid file? You don't need her!"

Ignoring her pleas, the man poured a sickly sweet smelling liquid on the rag. As he brought it up to Vanessa's face, Callie's blood ran cold at the look in her friend's eyes - pure, unadulterated fear.

'_You're the best friend I ever had!'_ Callie heard Vanessa's voice echoing in her head. Tears Callie had been trying so hard to contain finally spilled over as she watched the man hold the rag over Vanessa's nose and mouth. Within thirty seconds, Vanessa had collapsed in his arms. Picking her up, he carried her out the back door.

"Please!" Laura begged. "Leave her here. Take me instead!"

"Sorry," the gunman said, actually sounding sincere, as he tied Laura to the chair. "We have our orders. Don't worry. We really only want her to trade for the file. She won't be hurt."

'_I'm sorry, Van! I'm so sorry!! I never thought this would happen!'_ Callie thought, as she felt her wrists being tied behind her. She prayed Vanessa wouldn't be hurt, knowing she could never live with herself if Vanessa was harmed in any way. _'But she's already been hurt – mentally, emotionally, psychologically. Oh, yeah, you're a great friend.'_

Laura looked on helplessly as the gunman walked out the door. She waited until she heard the sound of a car engine start then began working on the ropes that bound her wrists. Silently, she cursed herself for not hearing the car when it had approached the house, before realizing she had no reason to think her home would be invaded. Glancing at Callie, she wondered how deeply her daughter-in-law was involved with whatever was going on.

"Callie, who were those men?" Laura asked. "You seemed to know exactly what they wanted."

"I…I don't know," Callie replied, her voice shaking.

Laura sighed. Even if Callie didn't know who the men were, she knew a lot more than she was saying and whatever she knew had just put Vanessa's life in danger.

"Callie… Callie, _look at me_!" Laura said more forcefully. "What is this file they want so badly? And why were they convinced you knew where it was? That you even knew what they were talking about?"

Callie looked at Laura briefly, then quickly looked away, guilt written all over her face.

"Vanessa is in serious danger! If you know anything at all about what's going on and why they took her, please tell me." Laura waited for Callie to respond and was met with silence. "I don't know why you're trying to protect them, but when Joe gets back and finds Vanessa gone he's not going to be very patient waiting for you to explain what just happened here."

Callie leaned her head back and closed her eyes as the meaning of Laura's words hit her. Even with everything Joe had been through, he was still extremely over protective of Vanessa, hating to let her out of his sight. Frank had told her it had taken quite a bit of convincing to finally get Joe to agree to go to the baseball game tonight. Frank and his father had finally convinced Joe that Vanessa would be perfectly safe at Fenton and Laura's house. What could possibly happen to her there?

"He's going to kill me," Callie whispered to herself.

oooOOOooo

As Fenton Hardy pulled into the driveway of his house, he exchanged a smile with Frank. Neither of them had spoken on the drive home, unable to get a word in edgewise as they listened to Joe excitedly recount every play, every at bat, every hit, every home run. When Fenton turned off the engine, Joe flung open the rear door and jumped out of the car, having already removed his seatbelt.

"I can't wait to show this to Vanessa!" Joe smiled, clutching the wayward ball he had caught in the 8th inning. Even in the dark, Fenton could see the thrill of catching the ball still evident in his son's blue eyes. He chuckled as Joe took off across the lawn, heading for the front door. He was suddenly assaulted with memories of the many times he had taken Frank and Joe to the ball park as children until Frank's voice cut through the pleasant thoughts of times past.

"This was a great idea, Dad," Frank said, watching his younger brother throw open the front door and call out Vanessa's name. "I haven't seen him like this…"

Frank was cut off by Joe's anguished cries. "_Dad! Frank!!_"

A feeling of dread washed over Frank at the tone in Joe's voice. He took off at a run with his father on his heels, knowing something was horribly wrong. Running through the front door and down the hall, he came skidding to a stop in the dining room, momentarily stunned at the sight before him.

Callie and Laura were each tied to a chair, Callie with tears streaming down her face, looking at Joe strangely. Joe was kneeling behind their mother, desperately trying to untie the ropes holding her wrists, but his hands were shaking so badly he was having very little success. Quickly scanning the room, Frank's heart stopped. Vanessa was nowhere in sight.

Fenton moved behind the chair Laura was seated in, gently moving Joe aside. He quickly untied Laura as Frank did the same for Callie. Joe stood alone, looking completely and utterly lost.

"Where's Vanessa?" he choked out.

The silence that followed was unbearable.

"I'm sorry, honey," his mother whispered, putting an arm around him. Laura glanced at her husband and oldest son before looking back at Joe. "They took her."

Joe squeezed his eyes shut. _'God, please don't let it happen again.'_


	9. Chapter 9

Many thanks to dazzling vampire, Helen, Polaris, MissMe113, TraSan, Miss Fenway and Cheryl for the wonderful reviews! :-) And thank you to everyone who is reading.

**Trust**

**Chapter 9**

Fenton Hardy quickly assessed the situation. Someone had invaded his home and, for whatever reason, kidnapped Vanessa. His wife's words to Joe came roaring back to him.

_"They took her." _

_'__They__?! More than one…' _Fenton glanced at Joe. One of the drawbacks of his chosen career was getting to know the criminal mind very well. He'd seen what multiple captors could do to one hostage simply out of boredom. _'Please, not Vanessa.'_

"Laura, are you hurt?" Fenton asked his wife, then looked at Callie and asked the same thing. They would need to get started searching for Vanessa immediately and he wanted to get the most important questions, the safety of his wife and daughter-in-law, answered right away.

"No, we're fine." Laura turned worried blue eyes on her husband. "Fenton, they took Vanessa."

Fenton knew his eyes reflected the same worry his wife's held - probably more. He hesitated a moment, needing to know if Vanessa had been hurt before she was taken from the house, if there had been any kind of struggle although his initial assessment told him their hadn't been. Knowing Joe was already on the verge of falling apart, Fenton didn't want to say or do anything to push him closer to the edge.

_'Damn, why now?!'_ Fenton thought, watching his youngest son with growing concern. _'They were just starting to get a small piece of themselves back…the way they used to be.'_

"Was she hurt?" Joe finally spoke, his voice shaky.

"They used something to knock her out," Laura answered honestly. "Chloroform, maybe?" she guessed, glancing at her husband. "It smelled sweet. Sickeningly sweet."

"Probably," Fenton agreed.

"Did they say anything, Mom? Ask for anything in exchange for returning Vanessa?" Frank asked, still holding Callie close to his side. He wasn't sure, but Frank thought he heard a small sound from Callie when he spoke to his mother. Assuming she was still frightened by what had happened, he held her tighter.

Laura didn't answer immediately, and instead turned an unrelenting gaze on Callie who refused to meet her eyes. Frank picked up on the unspoken communication immediately, setting off all kinds of internal alarms. Something wasn't right here…

"Mom," he repeated carefully. "Did they make any kind of ransom demand? Anything at all?"

"Yes. They did want something," Laura replied evenly, still staring at Callie whose eyes were glued to the floor.

"Did they say exactly what it was they wanted?" Fenton pressed, intrigued by the silent exchange going on between his wife and Callie.

"All they said was they wanted a file."

"A _file_? That's _it_?" Joe cried out. "How can we give them what they want if they won't even tell us what it is?"

"Easy, Joe," Frank said, reaching out to squeeze Joe's shoulder. "We'll get to the bottom of this. We'll find out what they want and get Vanessa back, I promise."

"How?! How the hell do we even know what to give them, Frank! What if….what if…" Joe started to hyperventilate, as the worst possible scenarios ran through his mind.

Leaving Callie's side for a moment, Frank focused his full attention on his brother. "We will find her, Joe. We will," Frank said, rubbing Joe's back. "Try to calm down. Deep breaths. Nice and easy. That's it," he continued in a soothing voice, occasionally glancing at his father. "If they want something specific and they took Vanessa to exchange for it, they won't hurt her," Frank tried to comfort Joe.

"Callie," Fenton addressed his daughter-in-law. "Did they say anything else about this file that you can remember?" he asked.

Frank stiffened. He'd seen his father question enough people to know what he was doing. Fenton thought Callie knew a lot more than she was saying and was trying to give her the opportunity to come clean.

"I…I don't know," Callie said very quietly.

_'Callie_, don't,_'_ Frank thought, looking at his wife. _'You'll_ _never_ _fool_ _Dad_. _Never_._'_

"You don't remember anything at all?" Fenton pressed, knowing Callie was lying.

"Callie, please…" Frank said softly. She finally looked up at him, her eyes begging him not to say another word.

"Enough, Callie!" Laura said sharply. "Vanessa has been kidnapped and could be in serious danger. Joe is barely holding on. I'm sorry but your feelings don't matter right now. Tell them everything you know!"

Callie looked at Joe, her eyes huge. "I'm sorry, Joe," she whispered. "I'm so sorry. I never thought they'd come after Vanessa. I never thought…" She stopped and choked back a sob, unable to continue.

…

Joe suddenly understood. Something Callie had done resulted in Vanessa being taken hostage… and something inside him snapped. Anger enveloped him in a red haze. His hands balled into fists and he took several steps in Callie's direction. He had a feeling controlled chaos reigned around him, but Joe couldn't hear anything other than the sound of his own blood pounding through his veins. Joe felt his entire body shaking with rage. His eyes never left Callie's face and he thought he had never seen such terror in anyone's eyes before in his life.

Slowly Joe became aware of someone grabbing him, pinning his arms down, dragging him backwards. He saw Callie being pulled backwards, too, away from him and then Frank stepping in front of her as if he were trying to protect her.

'_Protect her from what?'_ Joe thought and then realized Frank was trying to protect her from _him_.

He stopped struggling to break free of whomever was holding him, his father he presumed, but he continued staring at Callie, unable to believe she would endanger Vanessa for…what?

"You little -" Joe began, seething with hatred. If he couldn't lash out with his fists, he could do it with words.

"Joe!" Frank cried out. "Please, Joe…" he begged.

Something in the sound of his voice got Joe's attention.

"Please don't say it, Joe," Frank said, anguished, staring into his brother's eyes. "If for no other reason than out of respect for me and the fact that she's my wife."

Joe thought he saw tears in his brother's eyes. He clamped his mouth shut and literally bit his tongue. He did not trust himself to speak, knowing with absolute certainty he would say something that would end up hurting Frank deeply – and that he would surely regret in the morning.

Closing his eyes, Joe leaned his head back against his father, actually finding some comfort in his father's arms holding him so tightly.

…

Knowing Joe's anger would resurface momentarily, Frank decided to take advantage of the time to try and find out what was going on. He grabbed Callie's hand and dragged her down the hall and into the office, slamming the door. Once they were alone, he turned to face his wife and realized he was almost as angry as Joe.

"What the _hell_ is going on?" he growled.

Callie's eyes grew wide and she backed up a few steps.

"Frank, I'm so sorry. I never thought…"

"I don't have time for your apologies right now! I need to know what's going on!"

Callie stared at him in shock.

Frank took a few deep breaths and tried to calm himself. He knew his reaction was totally out of character and realized Callie was probably almost afraid of him right now as she had been of Joe just a moment ago.

"Callie, please," he said quietly. "Tell me _what_ is going on. Four men broke into my parents' house, tied up you and Mom and kidnapped Vanessa. I'm thinking they probably had a reason for doing that and whatever it is you are obviously right in the middle of it. It's only been three months since Vanessa was raped. Wherever she is, she has to be absolutely terrified. Callie, I need to know what's going on!"

"I...I'm sorry," Callie stammered again, saying nothing more.

Frank was quickly losing his patience and he knew Joe would be banging down the door any second, demanding answers.

"Yes, I _know_ you're sorry. That's all you've said so far, but it's not getting us anywhere! Now those men took Vanessa for a reason, right?"

Callie nodded.

"And you know what that reason is, right?"

Another nod.

"Well…" Frank said, his patience just about gone. "What do they want?"

Callie closed her eyes, letting a few tears roll down her cheeks. "A file," she whispered. "A file that Joe has."

"A file? What file?" Frank asked, confused.

"A file on someone named Greg Travers," she sniffled.

"Greg Travers?" Frank said, momentarily drawing a blank.

At that moment, just as Frank had predicted, the door burst open and Joe came barreling in followed closely by Fenton and Laura.

"Greg Travers," Frank said, stopping Joe in his tracks.

"Huh?" Joe looked at Frank, confused.

"What about Greg Travers?" Fenton's eyes narrowed, recognizing the name immediately.

"Whoever took Vanessa wants Joe's file on Greg Travers."

"What? That's _it_?" Joe couldn't believe it. "They can have the stupid file! It's useless without the other half."

"And I have that one." Frank suddenly remembered the Travers case. He recalled Callie's sudden interest in the Witness Protection Program and his involvement with it and got a chill. Somehow he knew the worst was yet to come.

"No, you don't," Callie's voice, barely above a whisper, confirmed his suspicions.

"What?" Frank asked, a feeling of dread washing over him.

"You don't have it," Callie repeated.

"Then who does?" Frank asked her, fearing he already knew the answer.

"They do."

Frank swallowed hard. He did not want to ask the next question, as he knew exactly what Callie would say.

"How did they get it?"

Callie met Frank's eyes, praying this would not be the beginning of the end of their marriage.

"I gave it to them."


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks so much for the reviews. :-)

**Trust**

**Chapter 10**

Vanessa awoke with a start. The very first thing she noticed was the cold, hard steel around her wrist. Looking up, she saw she was handcuffed to a bed.

"Please, God, no. Please, please, don't let it happen again," she prayed in a whisper, tears falling from her eyes.

She shifted position, trying to sit up, pushing herself up with her right hand, which had not been handcuffed. Inadvertently, she yanked on the handcuff holding her to the bed. Immediately, the floodgates opened and she was transported back three months.

"NO!" she cried out, feeling Chris Taylor tearing at her clothes once again. She threw up her right hand as if to defend herself against the assailant that now existed only in her memory. Still she could feel his hands on her, the weight of his body, his hot breath on her neck as if it were happening all over again.

"Shhh. It's okay. You're okay," she heard a soft, male voice, gentle and reassuring.

"Joe!" she exhaled with relief, opening her eyes.

Her relief was short lived as she found herself staring at the man who had held the gun to Laura Hardy's head.

"No!" she screamed again, scrambling as far away from him as the handcuff would allow. "Please, don't touch me. Please," she begged, curling up her long legs and pulling them in to her chest.

…

The young man stared at her, mesmerized by the terror in her eyes. A look he knew all too well. He could see she was literally shaking with fear and the floodgates opened for him too. Suddenly he was taken back four years to the day he arrived at his childhood home to find the door ajar…

_Cautiously, he walked into the house and was struck by the silence. It was never silent in this house. There was always noise – music, shouting, laughter. But today – silence. _

_He stood just inside the doorway, afraid to move; afraid of what he might find. Then he heard it. Someone crying, whimpering. Softly, quietly but unrelenting. He made his way up the stairs and followed the sound down the hall to his little sister's bedroom. Entering the room he stopped and tried to hold back the nauseous feeling that threatened to overwhelm him. His twelve-year-old sister was tied to the bed - beaten, bloody and naked…_

Shaking his head quickly, he wiped at his eyes and refocused his attention on Vanessa.

"I'm not going to hurt you. No one is going to hurt you. You have my word," he told her, reassuringly.

Vanessa stared back at him in fear and total disbelief.

"I promise. You won't be hurt. You'll only be here for a day or two. Just until your fiancé gives us what we need."

"Joe…" she said quietly, finding a little comfort in just saying his name. "What do you want from him?" she asked, suddenly concerned for his safety.

"Just a file," the man smiled. Vanessa was struck by how kind and concerned he seemed just now; in dark contrast to the man who had threatened to kill Laura Hardy. "Don't worry. I'm quite sure you are much more important to him than a few pieces of paper."

Vanessa knew she was, but felt a stab of guilt at the thought of Joe compromising his integrity for her.

"Do you need anything?" he asked, his formerly cold blue eyes now radiating compassion. "Are you hungry? Or thirsty?"

Vanessa shook her head no, still unsure why he was being so nice to her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I feel kind of …sick." Whatever they had used to knock her out had left her with a slight headache and feeling queasy.

"Sorry. After effects of the chloroform. It's a necessary evil. That'll wear off soon. Let me know when it does and we'll get you something to eat." He stood up to leave.

Vanessa glanced at the handcuff and tried to hold off the awful memories hovering so close to the surface.

"Wait."

He stopped and looked at her questioningly.

"Could you take it off?" She lifted her left hand slightly.

"I wish I could. I don't think you'll give us any trouble, but we can't take that chance. I'm sorry." He spread his hands and shrugged apologetically.

"Could you use something else then?" Her voice shook and her lower lip quivered. "Rope maybe. Anything but…this."

The man's face registered his sudden understanding and then showed concern.

"Oh... He used handcuffs on you." He quickly left the room, leaving Vanessa staring after him, open-mouthed.

He returned momentarily, carrying a key and a length of rope.

"I'm so sorry," he said simply.

Reaching forward, he began tying her hand to the rail on the bed. His hand lightly brushed her arm and she flinched involuntarily. He pulled back immediately and looked into Vanessa's eyes intently. The terror reflected in her blue-grey eyes almost brought him to tears. He blinked a few times and sighed heavily.

"My little sister was raped when she was twelve. I was the one who found her," he blurted out.

Vanessa stared at him, wide-eyed, hearing the pain in his voice.

"No one is going to hurt you. _No one_!" he said fiercely. "They know what would happen if they even thought about it." The threat in his voice was unmistakable.

He held up the rope. "I'll try not to get too close this time."

Vanessa nodded and lifted her hand as much as the handcuff would allow. The man tied the rope around her wrist, securing her to the rail and removed the handcuff, not once making contact with her skin.

"Anything else I can do before I go?" he asked stepping back.

"What's your name?" Vanessa asked.

"Trevor."

"Thank you, Trevor."

"You're welcome, Vanessa. I'll be back in an hour or so. I'm going to need you to call your fiancé and tell him what we need."

Her eyes grew wide. "You're…you're going to let me talk to Joe?" she asked not wanting to get her hopes up.

"He'll never agree to give us the file if he doesn't get to speak to you and hear for himself that you haven't been hurt." He smiled. "And I thought you might like to hear his voice." He turned and left the room.

Vanessa stared after him, wondering about the man with such contradictory personalities. Sliding back down onto the bed, she curled up and closed her eyes.

"I need you, Joe," she whispered. "Please, hurry."


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks a bunch for the reviews. :-) Trevor is thrilled that some of you like him and Callie is happy that not everyone hates her! :p

**Trust**

**Chapter 11**

Frank stared at Callie in disbelief, as did Fenton and Joe. For the first time in his life, Joe was speechless.

Suddenly Joe's cell phone rang, startling everyone. He quickly grabbed it and answered before it could ring twice.

"Hello?" Joe said, anxiously.

"Joe?" Vanessa's voice was shaky.

"Oh, God – Vanessa!" Joe was flooded with relief at the sound of her voice. "Are you all right?"

"I'm okay. Joe, they want a file. They said if you give them the file, they'll let me go," she repeated what Trevor had told her to say.

"I'll give them anything to get you back, Baby. Whatever they want." He stopped, listening intently to a voice in the background that was speaking to Vanessa.

"Gary Travers. They want a file on Gary Travers," she said, then Joe heard a jostling of the phone and Vanessa was gone.

"Vanessa!" he cried out.

"Don't worry. She's safe," a male voice said.

"If you even _think_ of touching her- " Joe's voice shook with rage.

"She won't be hurt," the voice cut him off. "You have the file on Travers?"

"Yes," Joe replied through gritted teeth.

"Good. We'll contact you in the morning with further instructions."

"No!" Joe cried out. "Tonight! I'll give it to you tonight, just tell me where!" Fear gripped him at the thought of what Vanessa could be subjected to at the hands of these men for an entire night. "_Please_," he begged. "Tonight."

"Tomorrow," the voice insisted, and then softened slightly. "She will _not_ be hurt. You'll have her back tomorrow." Then the voice was gone.

Joe was about to hang up when he heard Vanessa again.

"I love you, Joe. _I love you_."

He could hear the tears in her voice and then nothing but the dial tone. The phone slid from his hand, clattering to the floor.

"I love you too, Baby," Joe whispered.

He felt his mother's arm wrap around his shoulders, pulling him close. He was vaguely aware that she was speaking to him, but all he heard was Vanessa.

'_I love you, Joe. I love you.'_

He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed. _'Please, God. Please, please protect her tonight. Please keep her safe.'_

Opening his eyes, he saw his father looking at him with concern.

"I'm giving them the file," Joe said with determination.

"Of course," Fenton replied. "Gary Travers is not worth Vanessa's life."

Joe was relieved, fearing he would have to convince his father to let him turn over the file, although he was surprised at how readily his father agreed. He had a feeling it wasn't going to be quite as simple as it seemed.

Fenton Hardy turned and let his gaze rest on Callie.

"I think you'd better tell us what's going on. From the beginning," Fenton said evenly. He had no idea what could have possibly possessed Callie to steal a file from Frank and turn it over to a criminal.

"I…can't," she said, looking to Frank for support.

"You can and you will," Fenton replied, his tone making it clear he expected to be obeyed. "If for no other reason than you owe it to Joe. He has a right to know why Vanessa was taken as a bargaining chip."

Looking at Joe, Callie saw the hatred directed at her had not diminished one bit. If anything, it had increased. Recalling what Frank had told her about Joe's violent, destructive rage the night Vanessa had been raped, she reached for Frank, moving to position herself behind him. She had never in her life felt Joe was even remotely capable of hurting her until tonight. She leaned her forehead against Frank's back, trembling.

As upset as he was with her, Frank's protective instincts kicked in. He turned around and took her in his arms.

"Callie, please. Dad is right. Joe needs to know what's going on. We all do." He held her tightly, whispering, "He won't hurt you. He's angry with you but he would never hurt you."

Callie looked up at him, regret, fear and anguish washing over her.

"I need to explain it to you first." She glanced at Frank's parents and Joe, then looked back at him. "Privately."

Something in her eyes – her voice – gripped Frank. She was scared, not of Joe, but of something else entirely. Instinctively, he knew whatever she had to say to him needed to be done in private. Without turning around or taking his eyes off her face, Frank spoke to his family.

"Can we have a few moments alone? Please?" he requested in a hushed voice.

"No!" Joe replied angrily, in sharp contrast to Frank's subdued tone. "She's responsible for -"

Frank turned and locked eyes with his younger brother.

"_Please_, Joe. I need to talk to my wife - alone."

…

Joe was shocked at the distress he saw on his brother's face. He forced himself not to look at Callie. It was her fault Vanessa had been taken. It was her fault his brother was suddenly in so much pain. He nodded once at Frank, then turned and left the room.

Walking out of the office and back into his parents' house, he sat on the steps leading to the second floor. Holding his head in his hands, he tried to get a grip on all the emotions that were so close to taking control of him when he felt someone sit down beside him. A strong, comforting hand squeezed his shoulder.

"He said they wouldn't hurt her. He said she'd be safe," Joe said to his father without looking up. He needed his father to tell him everything would be okay.

"They have no reason to hurt her, son. You told them you would turn over the file. It would be stupid for them to hurt her now." It wasn't what Joe wanted to hear, but Fenton hoped it would reassure him Vanessa was still safe – for the moment, anyway.

"Four men, Dad. She was taken by four men. She has to be terrified beyond belief."

"I'm not going to lie to you, Joe. I'm sure she is. But she knows you're doing everything you can to get her back safely. I know that's a comfort to her."

Joe remained silent, leaning his head on his father's shoulder. He began to pray once more.

'_Please, keep her safe. Please don't let them hurt her. Don't let them touch her.'_

oooOOOOooo

Back in the office, Frank led Callie to the couch.

"There's an envelope in the emergency kit in the trunk of my car," Callie began. "Can you go get it?"

Frank stood, not understanding, but willing to comply if it would get to the bottom of this mess.

"Please don't look in it. Not until I have a chance to explain."

"I won't." He reached out to wipe a tear from Callie's face, then turned and walked out to her car.

Waiting for Frank to return, Callie looked blankly around the office until her eyes rested on a photograph on Fenton's desk, and her tears started anew. Staring at the picture of herself, Frank, Joe and Vanessa taken on the day she and Frank were married she was struck by how utterly happy they all were and wondered how everything could change so drastically in less than a year.

"I'm so sorry, Vanessa," she whispered, staring at her best friend's face. "I never meant for this to happen."

She heard the door open announcing Frank's return and quickly wiped her eyes. Callie was determined to get through this without breaking down. She owed it to Vanessa.

"Here," Frank said softly handing Callie the envelope as he took a seat on the couch next to her.

Callie took a deep breath to compose herself and then looked Frank directly in the eyes. "I'm being blackmailed."

Frank's eyes grew wide. "Blackmailed? By who? Why? How?"

"Who – I don't know. Why – to get that file." Callie paused, her eyes drawn to the envelope in her hand. "_This_ is how."

"What is it?" Frank asked, wanting to give Callie a chance to explain what had possessed her to do something so totally out of character.

"Pictures. Of me." With a shaking hand, she offered the envelope to Frank. "I don't know when or where they were taken, but they've been… altered," she said, her voice shaking.

Taking the envelope Frank pulled out the photographs, looking at each one, the color draining from his face. He then looked at Callie, unable to speak.

"I don't know who he is, Frank. I've never seen him before in my life. I swear," she said, her eyes and her voice pleading with him to believe her. "They came in the mail last Friday. As soon as I opened the envelope I got a phone call. The man said if I didn't steal the file from you, he would send you copies of the pictures."

Frank looked back down and flipped through the pictures again, feeling as if he'd been sucker-punched. Who _was_ this man? Holding Callie so closely? Touching her so intimately? Kissing her so passionately? Even though his instincts told him things weren't what they appeared to be, he couldn't help but feel deeply hurt. Not so much at the sight of the pictures themselves, as disturbing as they were, but more so at the fact that Callie obviously had never intended to tell him the truth unless she was forced to.

"I don't know where they got the pictures of me, but he has to be a computer generated image, or super imposed, or Photo-shopped…or _something_. I swear I don't know who he is." Callie's voice trailed off as she saw the look on Frank's face.

"Callie, why didn't you tell me about these as soon as you got them?" he asked, clearly hurt.

'_I was right. He doesn't believe me,'_ Callie thought as tears sprang to her eyes. "I…I…I wanted to, I really did. But…" she stopped and took a deep breath, willing herself not to cry. "I couldn't take the chance."

Frank looked at her, confused. "Couldn't take what chance?"

"I couldn't take the chance that you wouldn't believe me, given that you had the 'proof' right in front of you."

"What?" Frank asked, clearly distressed that Callie admitted she didn't trust him enough to tell him the truth. "You automatically assumed I'd think the worst, without even giving me a chance? _Why_, Cal?"

"You didn't believe Joe when he told you the truth," she replied softly, knowing her words would cut him deeply. "If you didn't believe him…" her voice trailed off, the implication hanging in the air. "I'm sorry, Frank. I couldn't take the chance that you would believe what you saw without giving me a chance to explain."

…

Frank closed his eyes, turning away from her, trying to control the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him. Betrayal, pain and anger but most of all guilt. While Callie's words were like a knife through his heart, a small part of him understood. He _hadn't_ believed Joe when Joe had told him the truth, at least not initially. He chose to believe what he thought he saw with his own eyes rather than have faith in his brother.

With a sick feeling in his stomach, Frank realized that with his initial negative reaction to Joe's cries of innocence three months earlier, he had left himself wide open for something like this. Getting a tighter grip on his emotions, Frank turned to face his wife.

"I'm sorry, Callie. I'm sorry you felt you had to do this. And I do understand…at least partially…why you would think I wouldn't believe you; wouldn't give you the benefit of the doubt. But you didn't give me the benefit of the doubt either," Frank said, unable to hide the pain in his voice.

"I…I don't understand."

"I learned, Callie. I learned from the mistake I made with Joe. And I will never, _ever_ make that mistake again," he said with absolute conviction. "Sometimes you have to believe what your heart knows instead of what your eye sees - or thinks it sees. And I know, _in_ _my_ _heart_, you would never cheat on me."

Frank looked at the pictures in his hand once again, the detective in him starting to resurface. Something in the background of one of the pictures caught his eye. A couple, seated at a table. A young woman, sitting on a young man's lap. He flipped through a few more pictures and found them again, this time engaged in a fiery kiss. Peering closer, he tried to make out who they were without success.

"What is it?" Callie asked, recognizing the look on his face.

"I'm not sure…" he murmured as he got up and walked over to his father's desk.

Switching on the desk lamp, Frank carefully laid out the pictures. Opening the top drawer, he rummaged around in it for a moment and finally come up with a powerful magnifying glass. Leaning over, he began examining the pictures intently.

Callie stood up and walked to the desk. Watching, she tried to figure out what it was that had Frank so engrossed. Finally, he looked up at her, sadness written all over his face.

"You _do_ know this man, Callie," Frank said quietly.

"I don't! I swear I don't!" Callie cried, her eyes huge. "See?! That's why I didn't tell you!"

"Callie…it's _me_."

Callie looked at him, utterly confused. "What?"

"Come here." Frank took her hand and guided her around the desk until she was standing next to him. "Look," he said simply, holding the magnifying glass over the young couple he had noticed in the background of the picture.

Callie gasped, then looked at her husband, wide-eyed. "That's Joe and Vanessa!"

"Mm-hmm." Frank nodded. "These pictures were taken at that club we went to in New York City. Which means that the man you're with is _me_."


	12. Chapter 12

Thank you to all who are reading. Big hugs to those who take a minute to review.

**Trust **

**Chapter 12**

Callie looked at Frank, devastated. She had betrayed Frank's trust, stolen from him, lied to him and tonight had put Vanessa's life in danger for no reason at all.

"Oh, Frank. I'm so…"

Frank held up his hand, stopping her. "Not tonight."

Frank knew that he and Callie were going to have to have a very painful discussion in the next few days about what had happened and why. But tonight, that was not important.

"Vanessa comes first. Once she's home – safe – then we'll talk. Right now, I want you to tell me everything you can remember from the minute you opened the envelope with the pictures until now."

"Okay," Callie replied meekly. She had been slightly hurt that Frank seemed to brush their problem aside so easily, even though she knew he was right. Finding Vanessa was the number one priority. Everything else, including her feelings, could wait.

"Everything, Cal. Every single detail." Frank knew she might be inclined to want to skip something that would hurt him, but he needed every scrap of information, no matter how painful or unimportant it might seem, if they were going to find Vanessa.

As he sat and listened, Frank took detailed notes, frequently stopping Callie to ask a question or clarify something. Frank had, thankfully, been "listening" as an investigator taking on a new case, rather than a husband who just found out, in front of his entire family, that his wife had betrayed his trust. That seemed to take a little bit of the sting out of Callie's story, although it still hurt to hear it.

Sitting across the desk from Frank, Callie died a little more with each question Frank asked or comment he uttered. She felt like a criminal being subjected to an intense interrogation and was slightly indignant for a moment. Finally, she admitted to herself that was exactly what she was.

Callie had finished the story and Frank hadn't spoken again for several moments before she finally broke the uneasy silence.

"If you want to get Joe and your Dad now, I'll explain it to them," Callie said, steeling herself. Facing Fenton Hardy's disappointment in her would be hard enough, but Joe…

'_Joe.'_ Callie didn't know if she would ever be able to look him in the eye again. They had finally found a strong, solid friendship and Callie feared she may have destroyed it beyond repair.

"Frank? Did you want me to go get them?" she asked when he didn't reply.

"No." Frank finally looked at her, hoping he could keep what he was truly feeling hidden deep inside. "I want you to go home."

"Home? But what about Joe and your Dad? Aren't they going to want to know what happened?" Callie asked, very confused.

"I'll explain everything to them. I want you to leave. Now," he replied, more an order than a request.

"But…why?" Callie had a sudden thought that Frank was so ashamed of her and what she had done that he didn't even want to be seen with her.

"When I tell Joe that the man in this picture is me and they just changed the color of the clothes and superimposed someone else's face on it, he'll realize there was no need for any of this. He's going to be livid, Callie. He'll turn that rage on someone and I don't want it to be you," Frank said. As badly as she had hurt him tonight, he still loved her and didn't want her to be hurt. "I've seen what can happen when he loses all control. I don't want you here."

Callie sat, momentarily stunned. She had broken Frank's heart tonight – shredded it – and his first thought was still to protect her. _'How could I ever have doubted him?' _

"Callie, please…go home. Now," Frank said hoarsely. While he didn't want her to be the target of Joe's anger, he still couldn't bring himself to comfort her, to tell her everything would work out. He honestly wasn't sure if it would.

Getting to her feet, Callie turned and started towards the house.

"No, go out this way." Frank indicated the office door that led directly outside. He did not want to take any chance that Callie might run into Joe, or Joe would see her leaving before he had a chance to talk to her, question her himself.

Frank knew Joe would be angry with him for sending Callie home, and hated doing that to Joe with everything else he was dealing with right now. But in his heart, Frank just wasn't sure he could trust his brother to keep his emotions on a level that wouldn't explode into violence.

"Will you be home soon?" Callie asked, hopefully.

"I…I don't know. We'll probably be working on this all night," Frank replied. He honestly didn't know what the night held in store. Even if they didn't work through the night, Frank wasn't sure he even wanted to go home. He was still in shock and had no idea what to say to Callie if he found himself alone with her.

"Oh. Okay." Callie said, understanding the hidden meaning. "Tell your Dad to call me if he has any questions."

"I will." Frank walked Callie to the door and held it open for her. "Bye." He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"Bye. I love you," Callie whispered, looking at him through a haze of guilt.

Frank merely nodded. "I know." Somehow, even though he felt it, he couldn't bring himself to say the three words he knew Callie desperately needed to hear. "Goodbye."

Frank watched until Callie was in her car and pulling away before he shut the door and leaned back against it, willing himself to find the strength he would need to face the wrath of his younger brother.

oooOOOooo

"_I'll give them anything to get you back, Baby. Whatever they want." _

Vanessa repeated Joe's words in her head, over and over, clinging to the sound of his voice. He had been panicked; she could hear it and she tried to be strong for him. She told him she was fine, unhurt and that she loved him. She hoped that was enough to get him through the night. Now she was trying to be strong for herself, and found that strength was almost gone.

'_I used to be so strong,'_ she thought, trying not to think about that horrifying night three months ago, yet unable to keep it away.

Vanessa always tried to keep it buried until she chose to think about it, which was usually restricted to her twice-weekly therapy sessions with Dr. Jennings. But whenever she felt stressed or scared, it would work it's way forward, ignoring her best efforts to keep it at bay. The situation Vanessa now found herself in had her scared to death and stressed to her limits. She was perilously close to falling apart and for the past three months, Joe was the only one who could hold her together when she got too close to the edge. Hoping he could still do that for her even though he wasn't there, she replayed his voice in her head and listened with her heart.

She could not let her mind wander, even for a second. If she did, Vanessa knew she would find herself in that deep, dark place in her soul where Chris Taylor was still very much alive and waiting for her. Waiting for Vanessa to come to him where the nightmare would repeat itself over and over, mercilessly, in an endless, terrifying cycle.

Vanessa lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, forcing herself to see the image she had created in her mind. Doing exactly as Dr. Jennings had advised in one of her very first therapy sessions, Vanessa painted a picture of the one place where she still felt completely safe. She clearly saw the apartment she and Joe had shared for the past two years. It was small, but it was home; her home, their home. She mentally walked through each and every room where they spent their days and nights. Most important of all, she saw herself and Joe in every single room – safe and happy. Concentrating, Vanessa convinced herself she was there, with Joe, where she always felt protected, and hoped she could remain there for the rest of the night.

Despite her best efforts, Vanessa felt herself slipping away and began to panic, knowing Joe was not there to pull her back this time. The more she tried to ignore it, the more she could feel the evil, the hatred. She could see Chris Taylor's face, trying to push itself to the forefront of her mind. Gathering what little inner strength she had left, she refused to let him take control of her again.

"Not tonight," she whispered. "You can't have me tonight. Joe is still here. He's with me. He won't let you touch me." It was an agonizingly long wait before Chris Taylor finally retreated back into his dark place. Vanessa could only pray he would stay there.


	13. Chapter 13

Many thanks for all the kind reviews! :-)

**Trust**

**Chapter 13**

Joe stared at the pictures laid out on the table in front of him, trying to make some sense of the bizarre story Frank had just told him and Fenton. He had initially held the photographs in his hands, but they had been shaking so badly he couldn't get a good look at them. Frustrated, he spread them out on the conference table in his father's office and leaned over them, peering closely at each one.

"So this is you?" Joe addressed his brother. He heard his own voice shaking and made a concerted effort to control the feelings that were trying to crush him.

"Yes," Frank replied simply, glancing at his father.

"They were taken when we were in New York City?"

"Right."

"They just changed the color of your clothes and put someone else's head on your body. Cropped out most of the background, too."

"Yes." Frank exchanged another glance with his father, starting to get worried. Joe was taking this much too well.

"They did a good job," Joe murmured, finally looking at Frank. "How did you figure it out?"

Frank hesitated, unsure how to answer. When he'd related Callie's story to Joe and his father, Frank had left out the part about how he'd eventually figured out he was the man in the pictures. After getting over his initial shock and anger at Frank for sending Callie home, Joe had been willing to listen to Frank. As upset as he was, Joe _did_ acknowledge he was too angry to question Callie or listen to her relate what had transpired. He had calmed down considerably and Frank was reluctant to do anything to get him worked up again. Frank feared that if Joe saw himself and Vanessa in the pictures, obviously so happy, it would be enough to send Joe tumbling back into that shadowy place in his soul, where his anger controlled him and pushed him to the extremes.

"Frank," Joe repeated, sensing he had touched a nerve. "How did you know it was you in the pictures?"

"Just the background," Frank replied vaguely. "They weren't able to crop out all of it."

Joe nodded. Picking up one of the pictures, he noticed his hands were barely shaking now and began to examine it more closely, squinting at something that had caught his eye. Silently, he got up and walked to his father's desk. Opening the drawer, he pulled out the same magnifying glass Frank had used just a short while ago. Placing the picture on the desk directly under the light, he used the magnifying glass to focus in on one particular image in the background.

"No," Frank whispered a little louder than he intended, drawing his father's attention. Frank saw the expression on Joe's face change dramatically and knew he had found himself and Vanessa. Motioning for his father to step back so they could talk without Joe overhearing, Frank quietly tried to explain what he had originally seen and what Joe had apparently just found.

…

Joe gazed at the image through the powerful lens. Vanessa was sitting on his lap, their arms wrapped around each other tightly and they were locked in a fiery, passionate kiss. All the emotions, the feelings, the happiness they'd felt that weekend suddenly came rushing back, mocking Joe, reminding him that once again, he had been unable to protect Vanessa from harm.

The tenuous grip Joe had on his temper had slipped away the second he saw Vanessa in the photograph. He looked at Frank and Fenton with warring emotions. They had promised him Vanessa would be safe and they had been wrong. Without warning, he heard Frank's voice echoing in his ears.

_"Maybe Vanessa could stay here while we're at the game."_

It was immediately followed by his father's reassurance that nothing could happen to Vanessa there.

_"She'll be perfectly safe here, Joe. You won't have to worry about a thing."_

Something snapped and all the anger, all the rage, all the fury Joe had tried so hard to control suddenly took control of him. He jumped up, accidentally knocking over the lamp and stood, transfixed by the shards of glass that rained down on the floor.

Joe stared at the broken glass, a blind rage washing over him as the meaning of his brother's words became crystal clear. If Callie had shown Frank the pictures as soon as she had received them, everything could have been avoided. Frank would have figured out he was the man with Callie. There would have been no blackmail, no reason for Vanessa to be kidnapped. No reason for Joe to worry that tonight, her worst nightmare could return – repeatedly – and send her into a depression so deep he'd never get her back.

"So there was no need for any of this!" Joe's voice broke. "There was no reason for Vanessa to be kidnapped."

Feeling the white hot anger take over, Joe spun away from his brother. Joe knew he was about to lose control and he did not want Frank to become the target for his pent up rage. Frank had already suffered enough tonight.

'_Breathe in, breathe out,'_ Joe told himself. He was shaking, trying desperately to regain control. _'Come on, you can do it.'_

"Joe…" he heard his father's deeply concerned voice. Joe knew they were thinking of his violent reaction the night Vanessa had been raped, as was he.

Joe held up a hand, warning his father back. He knew he could no longer let his anger control his every move. It hadn't done Vanessa any good on that dark night three months ago, and it wouldn't do her any good now.

When Joe had started therapy, he found the memories of the time he had been kidnapped were so traumatic he had an extremely difficult time just thinking about them, let alone talking about how he felt. More often than not, his anger would surface the second his therapist tried to get him to open up. It had become clear to him that he had to work on controlling his temper, his emotions, rather than letting them control him.

Joe knew he couldn't continue to let his rapidly changing emotions dictate his every move whenever he got upset. His therapist had been extremely understanding and was working with Joe to help him achieve a more even balance between _feeling_ his emotions and _reacting_ to them, especially in high stress situations. Calling on everything he had learned, Joe was determined to regain control now, no matter how long it took. What had happened to Vanessa was not his father's fault, nor Frank's, and he vowed not to make them the target of the rage that was trying to get the better of him.

'_Come on, get control of yourself…breathe in, breathe out…you can __do__ this.'_ Several tense minutes later, Joe was finally able to turn and face his father and brother. He was still angry – incensed – but at least it was now under control. For the moment, anyway.

"What do we need to do first?" Joe asked, looking at his father.

"Joe, are you sure…" Fenton began apprehensively.

"Dad, _please_," Joe begged him. "I need _something_ to focus on…now!"

Fenton studied his youngest son and realized the amount of effort it took for Joe to regain his composure so quickly, given everything that had transpired in the past several hours. Vowing to do whatever was necessary to keep Joe on an even keel until Vanessa was found, he began a mental outline of what needed to be done to ensure Vanessa's safe return and the continued safety of Gary Travers.

"First, you need to go home and get the file," he told Joe.

"Why?" Joe asked, suspiciously. "I'm giving it to them. You already agreed."

"And I still do. But we need to buy some time to get Travers a new identity before they find him," Fenton replied, and then turned to Frank. "Once Joe gets back with the file, can you come up with a new code? Something that will appear to match the other one."

Frank nodded. "Yes. I just got a new program from your friend in the FBI that can encode anything. I can enter the information I want coded, give it a few parameters and it'll come up with at least five different encryptions."

"Good. Make sure to give them some concrete information, details that will complete what's in the first file, but with false information. Send them on a wild goose chase for a few days."

"When I get a look at Joe's file, I can see what details that one has, figure out what's missing and work backwards from there. I haven't had any reason to look at Travers' file in over eight months. I'm not sure what information was in my file and what's in Joe's."

Joe had been listening, silently, to the exchange between Frank and their father with growing trepidation. "Can you get it done by tomorrow?" he asked Frank, clearly worried.

"Absolutely," Frank said with conviction. Somehow, he felt responsible for this entire mess; felt he had let Joe down and he wasn't about to do it again. He would move heaven and earth to have the new file ready by the time Vanessa's kidnappers called with instructions for the exchange.

"Joe, why don't you go and get the file now. Frank and I will work on getting a new identity started for Travers while you're gone," Fenton said, wanting to keep Joe busy and his mind occupied.

"Okay." Joe slowly got to his feet, not looking forward to returning to their apartment without Vanessa, knowing the memories that would assault him the second he walked in the door.

Joe had gotten all the way to the front door of his parents house when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Frank staring at him, his eyes filled with remorse.

"I'm so sorry, Joe," Frank choked out, fighting to keep his emotions in check. "I had no idea, I swear."

"I know you didn't, Frank. It's not your fault." Impulsively, Joe reached out and hugged his brother, heartbroken at the look in his eyes. Joe couldn't do a thing for Vanessa at the moment, but maybe he could make Frank feel just a little bit better.

As Joe tried to pull back, he was surprised to find Frank very reluctant to let him go. Patting him on the back as Frank had done so many times for him, Joe tried to reassure him. "We'll find her, Frank. Together. You and me. A team. Just like always."

"Thanks, bro," Frank whispered. Abruptly, he released Joe and hurried back into the office, leaving a slightly stunned Joe staring after him. Joe suddenly thought of Callie and was surprised that instead of the all-consuming anger that had been trying to control him for the past few hours, he felt pity.

_'If you couldn't go to Frank, why didn't you come to me, Cal?'_ Joe thought sadly. _'I would have understood better than __anybody__.' _Shaking his head, Joe stepped out into the night.

oooOOOooo

Returning to the office, Frank found his father just hanging up the phone. "How's Joe doing?" Fenton asked. He was a little concerned at Joe's abrupt mood changes even though they seemed to be for the better this time around.

"Better than I am," Frank muttered. He looked at his father sadly. "Dad, I just don't get why she didn't tell me right away. I _know_ I made a mistake with Joe. Doesn't she understand what that cost me? Did she think I would forget so quickly? That I wouldn't learn from it?"

Fenton heard the despair in Frank's voice and would have given anything to be able to take it away. He sighed as he realized that lately, it seemed, his sons needed him even more than they did when they were children.

"I honestly don't know, Frank. I know she loves you - deeply. I'd guess her emotions got the best of her and she was thinking with her heart and not her head. I'm not making excuses for her - there's no excuse for what she did - but it sounds like this guy really put the pressure on her. I'm sure if she'd had more time to think things through, she would have come to a much different decision."

"The worst part is Vanessa - and Joe - are paying the biggest price. This is the last thing in the world they need right now. We were just starting to see a tiny bit of the real Joe and Vanessa; the way they used to be. God, I hope this doesn't set them back too much." Frank couldn't mask his hopelessness. Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes, his voice barely a whisper. "If anything happens to Vanessa, I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive Callie. I know Joe never will."

"Well, the good news is these guys are professionals. They have to be part of the drug cartel you and Joe infiltrated last summer. Remember, we only got the Northeast branch of their operation. They are still very much in business in other parts of the country and the world," Fenton replied.

"Why is the fact that they are organized crime a good thing?" Frank asked, puzzled.

"They don't like any unnecessary trouble. Anything that would call attention to them. They need Vanessa alive and unhurt to get the file. As long as she doesn't see or hear anything that could be used against them, they probably _will_ let her go once they get the file," Fenton explained.

"So, whoever is in charge of keeping her under wraps will probably have as little contact with her as possible," Frank said, following his father's train of thought. "So you think the chances of her being hurt are pretty slim."

"Exactly."

Feeling a little less worried, Frank changed the subject. "Who did you call just now? It's kind of late."

Fenton hesitated a beat before answering. "Nick Rapposelli. An old friend who works for the Witness Protection Program. I asked him to arrange a new identity for Travers and involve as few people as possible. When I explained the circumstances to him, he assured me he could probably handle it by himself."

"Why would that matter? Wouldn't it be quicker to have as many people as possible working on it?" Frank was puzzled by his father's strange request.

"Yes, it would," Fenton replied, wondering if he should tell Frank the real reason he didn't want a whole squad of people involved.

"So…" Frank pressed, a quizzical expression on his face.

Fenton sighed. He hadn't wanted to discuss this with Frank tonight, thinking his oldest son had more than enough to deal with at the moment.

"What is it, Dad? By the way you're acting, I'm obviously not going to like it so just get it over with," Frank snapped, wondering if the bad news would ever end.

"I don't think Callie realized how damaging this would be to your reputation and your credibility if it got out. A private investigator whose wife steals classified files and turns them over to criminals…" Fenton let his words hang in the air a moment, knowing Frank would get the meaning quickly, without him having to say anymore. "The fewer people who know about this the better, Frank. Nick promised it would go no further than him. If anyone does find out about what he's doing, he'll just tell them your files were broken into and that one was stolen. End of story. It's happened to the best of us, so no one would think twice about it."

Frank leaned forward, resting his head in his hands. "What if he can't keep it quiet? What then? Both mine AND Joe's reputations will be ruined," Frank's voice floated out, sounding totally defeated.

"Nick is pretty good with 'covert' operations, so to speak. If the truth does get out, well, we'll just cross that bridge _if_ we get to it." Fenton tried to sound reassuring. "We've got enough on our plate right now, what with getting Vanessa back and getting Travers to a new location. Let's focus on that tonight, shall we?"

Frank looked up and saw his father smiling at him, and Frank found himself smiling back. "How can you even stand to look at me, Dad, let alone smile about anything?"

"Because you haven't done anything wrong, son. You're just as much a victim as Vanessa is. Now why don't we get to work, hmm?"

oooOOOooo

Joe stood outside the door to his apartment, trying to work up the nerve to go inside. He wasn't sure he could handle the emotions that he knew would overwhelm him the second he walked in. He remembered vividly the continuous, rapid-fire change of emotions that had taken control of him the night Vanessa had been raped. To this day, he couldn't remember some of the things he had said or done once his anger and rage had exploded into violence. Knowing he could not have a repeat performance tonight, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves and slowly opened the door.

Standing on the threshold, he didn't move, refusing to step inside just yet. Glancing around the living room, he saw it was just as he had left it that morning. The newspaper strewn on the couch, coffee cup on the end table next to the empty plate he had forgotten to return to the kitchen before he left. Smiling sadly, he could almost hear Vanessa teasing him that it was the maid's day off and he would need to pick up after himself. Still, something held him back, kept him from taking that first step.

'_Come on, you're a big boy now. You can't keep letting your feelings dictate every move you make. __You__ need to control __them__, don't let them control you.'_

Taking a deep breath, Joe stepped into the apartment and purposefully strode down the hall to the small office Vanessa had set up. Unlocking the cabinet, he quickly pulled out the file on Gary Travers, relocked the cabinet and turned to leave, coming to a sudden stop when he caught sight of the small, framed picture sitting on top of the computer monitor.

Walking to the desk, Joe picked it up and gazed at the picture of him and Vanessa. He had no idea when it was taken, but they had their arms wrapped around each other and looked like a couple very much in love. Laughing softly to himself, he remembered when they had moved into the apartment. One of the first things Vanessa had done was put a picture of the two of them or just Joe in every single room. When Joe had teasingly asked her if that was because she simply couldn't live without him, she had looked him dead in the eye and very seriously replied, _"Yes."_

"You got it wrong, Babe," Joe said to Vanessa's image in the photograph. "I'm the one who can't live without you."

'_And I won't,'_ he thought, returning the picture to its place on the monitor_. 'No one is going to take you away from me.' _

With new determination, Joe headed for the door, stopping briefly to put the newspaper in the recycle bin and the dirty plate and coffee cup in the dishwasher. As he left the apartment and shut the door behind him, Joe took one final glance over his shoulder and vowed the next time he returned home, Vanessa would be by his side.


	14. Chapter 14

Cheryl, Polaris, MissMe113, dazzling vampire, Alicia, pally, Miss Fenway, Fandemonium and Helen – thank you for the wonderful comments and reviews! They are appreciated! :-)

**Trust**

**Chapter 14**

Upon returning, Joe found his mother sitting in the office talking with Frank and Fenton. As Joe handed the file to Frank, Laura patted a spot on the couch next to her.

"Sit down and have some coffee, honey," she smiled at him. "I think you're all going to have a long night."

For the first time Joe noticed the coffee pot and assortment of mugs, spoons, cream and sugar laid out on the small table.

"Thanks, Mom," Joe replied settling in next to his mother as she prepared a cup of coffee for him.

"Your mother just gave us her version of what happened. She remembered it in a lot more detail than Callie did," Fenton explained to Joe, smiling at his wife.

"Although there's not much that can help you right now, I'm afraid. I'm sorry I couldn't get the license plate, or at least get a look at the car." Laura had a pained expression on her face. "At this point I'm sorry I even answered the door."

"Every detail is important, Mom, even if we don't know why right off the bat." Joe found himself trying to comfort his mother, upset that she thought she had done something wrong. "And why wouldn't you answer the door when someone knocks? None of this is your fault."

"I better get started on this," Frank said, quietly. Hastily, he got to his feet and walked down the hall to his own office. They all heard the soft click as he shut the door behind him.

"Should I go talk to him?" Joe asked, glancing at his parents. "I didn't mean it was _his_ fault."

"No, leave him alone for now," Fenton advised. "He knows you don't blame him, Joe. But he feels guilty by association, since it was his wife who set off this whole chain of events. And he's having a hard time accepting that Callie didn't trust him enough to tell him about the pictures as soon as she got them. Let him get lost in his work. That's probably the best thing for him right now."

Just as Fenton finished speaking, the phone rang. "Excuse me," he said, going to answer it.

"Honey, I'm going to bed now," Laura said to Joe. "But I already told Frank and your father, if you need to ask me anything else – anything at all – promise you'll wake me."

"Okay, promise." Joe couldn't help but smile at his mother. "Is there something else?" Joe asked when Laura seemed to hesitate and didn't move from the couch.

Laura stared at Joe trying to decide if what she wanted to say would comfort Joe or upset him.

"Mom? What is it?" Joe asked, frowning in concern.

"The last thing the gunman said to me before he left was, _"We really only want her to trade for the file. She won't be hurt."_ I know it sounds crazy, but he really seemed sincere," Laura replied. Seeing the look on Joe's face quickly change from concern to sorrow, she put an arm around him, hugging him tightly.

Closing his eyes, Joe recalled the short phone conversation he'd had with what he assumed was the same man.

"He said the same thing to me on the phone," Joe said, quietly. A moment later he opened his eyes and looked at his mother. "Do you think he meant it?" Joe asked her, searching for reassurance that Vanessa would be returned to him unharmed.

"Truthfully?"

Joe nodded.

"Yes. I do." Laura kissed Joe on the cheek, then stood up and left the office.

Seeing his father was finishing up his phone call, Joe walked over to the desk and took a seat in one of the chairs facing Fenton.

"Ok, thanks, Nick," Fenton said into the phone. "I really appreciate your help with this. We owe you. Right. Goodbye."

"Finally, some good news," Fenton sighed, meeting Joe's eyes. "Nick has already gotten Travers moved to a safe house. He'll be fine there until we get his new identity in place."

"Nick?" Joe asked, confused.

"Sorry. You had already left when Frank and I talked about it. Nick Rapposelli. He's a friend of mine who is going to make all the arrangements for Travers' new life. The fewer people involved in this, the better."

"That's for sure," Joe snorted. "If this gets out Frank and I won't even be able to get hired for security at K-Mart!"

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Fenton couldn't help but laugh out loud at his son's remark, which in turn brought a chuckle from Joe.

"Well, it's the truth, Dad," Joe smiled, sheepishly.

"Luckily, I don't think you need to worry about that. Nick seems confident he can keep everything under wraps," Fenton replied, still grinning. "Besides, K-Mart would be lucky to have the two of you working security."

"Thanks," Joe replied, returning the grin. As he got up to pour himself a second cup of coffee, the door to Frank's office opened. Joe watched as his older brother returned, looking glum.

"Done already?" Joe asked. "That's impressive even for you!"

"I'm done my part. The computer has to do the rest. It'll be a while though. But thanks for the vote of confidence," Frank replied, sitting in the chair Joe had just vacated. "Now what?" Frank asked his father.

"Nick just called. Travers has been moved to a safe house already and Nick is confident he can arrange a new identity without having to involve anyone else."

"Thank God," Frank muttered, grateful for any good news.

"Yeah, now we won't have to go work at K-Mart," Joe said, winking at his father as he plopped into the seat next to Frank.

"K-Mart?" Frank looked at his brother, puzzled.

"Nothing," Fenton said, with a small chuckle, before getting back to the business at hand. "Honestly, the only thing we can do now is wait."

"Why?" Joe asked, the thought of doing nothing making him very uncomfortable. If he were doing nothing, he'd be alone with his thoughts, something he wanted to avoid at all costs. "Why can't we start talking about how we're going to make the exchange? And what happens afterwards. Don't you want to catch these guys after Vanessa is safe?" Joe looked from Fenton to Frank.

"You bet," Frank replied, relishing the thought of five minutes alone in a room with the man who blackmailed his wife.

"Of course we do, Joe. But planning for it…well, until they call with instructions, that's going to be a little tough," Fenton admitted. "We have no idea how, when or where the exchange will take place, although I'm assuming they'll want you to deliver the file. But we don't know if they'll want you to drop it somewhere and leave; transport you and the file to a second location; if they'll have Vanessa with them when you make the exchange or if they'll take the file and give you instructions on where to find her. There are just too many variables to plan anything yet."

"Not necessarily," Joe replied. "If they do want to meet with me, face to face, I can wear a wire, regardless of how the rest of it goes down. You and Frank would hear everything. If they don't bring Vanessa to the exchange and tell me where to find her instead, you two could get a head start."

"I don't know if I like that idea, Joe. What if they search you for weapons? They'll find the wire immediately and probably kill you," Fenton said, his tone indicating exactly what he thought of Joe's plan.

Joe shrugged. "Yeah, but they might _not_ search me, take the file and kill me anyway."

Frank winced at his brother's blunt observation. "Still that's a big gamble, Joe. I'm not sure we should take that kind of risk with your life."

Turning to face Frank, Joe challenged his brother. "Are you telling me if Callie was the one being held hostage, you wouldn't do the same thing?"

"Okay, okay, you know I would. I just don't like it, that's all." Frank wrinkled his nose at his younger brother. "The thought of you getting killed doesn't sit too well with me, you know?"

"It's not exactly at the top of my list of favorite things either. But I don't want to wait one second longer than we have to, to find Vanessa." Joe threw a pleading look at his father. "Come on, humor me, Dad. Can't we come with Plan A, Plan B, Plan C…you know, cover all the bases? Please?"

Fenton looked at his watch and saw it was almost one o'clock in the morning. From years of experience, he knew Joe was stalling, not wanting to go home and face an empty apartment, let alone the nightmares that would haunt him should he actually be able to fall asleep for a few hours. Looking at Frank, Fenton raised his eyebrows in a silent request for Frank's opinion.

"Couldn't hurt. It'll be a while before the computer finishes the new encryptions. Might as well make good use of the time," Frank said, smiling at Joe when he heard an audible sigh of relief.

'_Don't worry, little brother. I'll help you keep the monsters away tonight,'_ Frank thought, determined to do everything possible to help his brother get through the night without losing himself to his demons.

Three hours and two pots of coffee later, Frank, Joe and Fenton had established a plan for every possible scenario they could come up with for how the exchange would take place. Frank had excused himself more than once to check on the computer program and finally emerged with a new file that he was confident would hold up under the closest scrutiny.

"I think we really have done everything we can now," Fenton yawned. "The best thing we can do now is get a few hours sleep. Tomorrow…" he began, then stopped to correct himself. "…_today_ is going to be a very long day."

Frank and Joe exchanged a look, each knowing the other did not want to return home, though they had vastly different reasons.

"Uh, Dad, would it be okay if Joe and I just crashed here?" Frank asked, a little apprehensive. It was obvious why Joe would not want to go home, but Frank did not want to have to explain to his father his own reasons.

Frank was still reeling from everything that had happened and was finding it extremely difficult to accept that Callie simply didn't trust him. He had a feeling Joe knew, instinctively, why he did not want to go home and face his wife. A heart to heart discussion on why Callie had betrayed his trust was the one thing he wasn't ready for, although he knew Callie wanted to get it out in the open as soon as possible.

Fenton looked at Frank, a little stunned. "Frank, this will _always_ be your home. You and Joe. You never have to ask for permission to stay here," he replied, softly. "I'm sure your mother will be thrilled to wake up and find both of you here," he smiled.

"Thanks, Dad. We'll go up in a little bit," Joe said. Physically, he was exhausted and would love nothing better than to fall into bed for some much needed sleep. But he knew the monsters were waiting for him and he wasn't quite ready to face them yet. He also had a very strong feeling that Frank was avoiding some monsters of his own.


	15. Chapter 15

MissMe113 – It's okay to feel bad for Callie. LOL! She did screw up big time but she didn't do it maliciously. Just an error in judgment made under extreme duress. ;-) More about Vanessa in this chapter.

Polaris – Yeah, I liked the K-Mart remark too. :p And it's just as okay _not_ to feel sorry for Callie. ;-) I actually really love that some people feel so sorry for her, some only a little and others not at all.

Pally – We find out how Vanessa's doing in this chapter. ;-)

Cheryl – LOL! No surprise at your feelings for Callie! :p

Alicia – I love writing Laura and Fenton – to me they are the epitome of great parents. :-) Thanks for your comments. FYI, I still have Joe's electric razor. Borrowed it from Vanessa… just in case. ;-)

Helen – Aw, THANK YOU!! I love writing brotherly moments; they're my absolute favorites so I'm glad you like them.

Thanks to ALL who have taken the time to read this story!

**Trust**

**Chapter 15**

_Joe sat in the chair, in the middle of the room, unable to move. The ropes that bound him had been tied so tightly they dug into the skin on his wrists. He could feel the blood slowly trickling down his hands. _

_"She won't be hurt." Joe heard a man's voice echo in the cavernous room, followed by mocking laughter._

_"He actually believed us!" another voice cackled._

_"Fool!" a third voice jeered derisively._

_The laughter grew louder, so loud it almost drowned out her screams. Almost…_

_"NO!!" Joe cried out, gripped with fear._

_More voices. More teasing. More laughter. _

_How many were there? Two? Three? Joe couldn't tell for sure._

_More screams. _

_"Please!" Joe begged, tearfully. "Please, stop!"_

_Their laughter swirled throughout the room, seeming to come from every corner, bouncing off the walls. But as loud as it was, it couldn't obliterate the screams of terror and pain. The screams that tore into Joe's soul._

_Vanessa's screams…_

"Vanessa!"

Joe awoke screaming her name, drenched in a cold sweat. His heart was racing, pounding in his chest.

Looking around, confused, Joe tried to get his bearings. He wasn't at home, but the bedroom was still familiar – comfortingly so. Suddenly, the door burst open and Frank rushed in.

"Joe! Are you alright?" he panted, slightly out of breath.

"Yeah…I…" Joe blinked, not quite sure why he had awakened so abruptly.

Looking around, he saw he was in his old bedroom at his parents' house. With a loud gasp, he suddenly remembered why he was there. And the dream came roaring back in all its horror. Blinking rapidly, he looked at his older brother, hoping the reality was also a dream. Sadly, he knew it wasn't.

"Vanessa! I dreamt…they were…Oh God, Frank! I could hear her screaming!" His voice broke and he quickly swiped at his eyes, not wanting the floodgates to open.

Immediately, Frank was seated on the bed, facing Joe, squeezing his shoulder, alarmed at how badly Joe was shaking.

"They have no reason to hurt her, Joe. They'd be slitting their own throats. They know you'd never turn over the file if they so much as looked sideways at her." Frank kept his voice calm and steady. He never thought he'd _want_ to be up against professionals, but this time he was grateful for organized crime.

"You know that, right?" Frank pressed when Joe continued to stare at him in absolute fear. "Right, Joe?"

'_Come on, little brother. You've held it together this long. Don't lose it on me now.'_ Frank practically willed Joe to regain the same composure he'd had the night before.

"Yeah…right," Joe finally responded, not sure he could believe his brother or himself.

Frank hoped he could get Joe back to the positive, productive frame of mind he'd been in before they went to bed just a few hours ago. He was concerned about his brother and wanted to do everything possible to make sure this situation was resolved with a happy ending. At least for Joe and Vanessa.

Deep inside, there was a very different reason Frank was so focused on Joe; a reason he was reluctant to admit even to himself. The more time he spent helping Joe deal with this and stay focused, the longer he could put off thinking about his own problems. Searching his brother's face, Frank was struck by how totally lost Joe seemed without Vanessa.

"We'll find her, Joe. You and me. A team. Just like always," Frank repeated the words Joe had spoken to him the previous evening. "I'm not going anywhere, little brother. Not until she's back home with you, safe and sound," Frank reassured him.

"We'll find her," Joe agreed, though not sounding quite as certain as Frank had.

"We will," Frank smiled, giving Joe's shoulder a final squeeze.

The ringing of the telephone floated down the hall ceasing partway through the third ring. Laura's muffled voice could be heard briefly, followed by footsteps approaching the room. Seconds later, Laura stood in the doorway smiling wistfully at her two sons. A lump formed in her throat as she was transported back to their teen years, where the sight before her now had occurred on a daily basis. For all intents and purposes, Frank and Joe had moved out of the house years ago, when they started college, but for Laura it still seemed like it was just yesterday. There were times she still could not believe her sons were old enough to have lives of their own.

"It's Callie," she finally announced, looking at Frank.

He nodded in acknowledgement before looking back at Joe. "You're okay now?" he asked, still slightly uneasy.

"Mm-hmm," Joe replied, nodding. "Thanks, bro."

"Hey, that's what big brothers are for." Frank couldn't resist reaching out and ruffling Joe's hair, knowing how much he hated it, as Joe made a half-hearted attempt to swipe Frank's hand away.

As Frank stood up to leave, Joe impulsively reached out and grabbed his arm, jerking him to a stop.

"If you need me to return the favor…" Joe said. "That's what little brothers are for."

Smiling, Frank nodded and walked out the door, stopping to give his mother a kiss on the cheek. He continued down the hall into his parents' room, closing the door behind him. Sitting on the bed, Frank took a few deep breaths and picked up the phone.

"Hi."

"Frank, hi. I…I was a little worried. You didn't come home, you didn't call. I…I just wanted to make sure you were…all right," Callie said. She had started out in a breathless rush, her voice fading as she finished.

"Oh. Sorry. Didn't mean to worry you. But I told you I wasn't sure I'd be home."

"I know, it's just that...you _always_ call," Callie replied trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"It slipped my mind. Besides you knew where I was," Frank said, his voice strained. "Joe didn't want to go home last night and I didn't want him to be alone."

"But your parents are there. He's not alone," Callie blurted out, realizing instantly that it was the wrong thing to say.

"My brother needed me, Callie!" Frank responded, a little more harshly than he intended.

"I know. I'm sorry," Callie said softly, her voice starting to quiver. "How is Joe?"

"He's a wreck," Frank told her bluntly. "But he's holding it together."

"Will you be coming home at all today?" Callie asked hesitantly.

"No. I promised Joe I'd stick close to him until Vanessa is home safely. When Vanessa is home, I'll be home."

"I understand," Callie's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Okay. I'll see you…later."

"Frank?"

Yes?"

"I love you."

The same feeling that had taken root last night resurfaced and clutched at Frank's heart. He knew Callie needed to hear those same words back. Deep in his soul, Frank still felt them. But as much as he needed to say them – wanted to say them – he couldn't give them a voice.

"I know." Ignoring the ache in his heart, Frank hung up the phone.

Returning to his old bedroom he stripped off the shorts and t-shirt he had found to sleep in and walked into the bathroom, turning on the shower. He waited until it was nice and hot, then stepped in hoping to lose himself and think of absolutely nothing for just a few precious minutes.

Frank stood in the shower letting the hot water wash over him. Mesmerized, he watched the water swirl down the drain at his feet and found himself wishing it could take both his and Joe's problems along with it. He didn't want to think about Callie or her betrayal, but it haunted him, refusing to let him have a moment's peace. Frank found it incomprehensible that his short-lived mistrust of Joe three months ago had such far-reaching consequences.

Frank had seen it as an isolated and very private issue between him and his brother. It hit him with sudden clarity that regardless of what he thought, it had obviously shaken Callie's faith in him considerably. The heaviness in his heart got much heavier when he forced himself to acknowledge the ripple effect his one lapse in judgment may have had. Did his friends look at him differently now? Was there mistrust in their eyes that he simply hadn't noticed? Did his mother still trust him implicitly?

Inhaling sharply, Frank nearly choked on the water still streaming from the showerhead as a thought struck him out of the blue. Turning off the water, Frank leaned against the wall, feeling as if someone had just punched him in the stomach.

Did _Joe_ still trust him? Or was he haunted by the same doubts Callie had? After that one heart to heart talk the night Joe had forgiven him, Frank's error had never been mentioned again. Frank had just assumed everything was fine between them. Wouldn't Joe have said something if it wasn't? It had never occurred to Frank that his brother didn't trust him as completely as he had before. As the knife gouged out another piece of his heart, Frank realized that when all this was over, he would have to confront Joe. He had to know for sure if Joe no longer trusted him as he once did.

Stepping out of the shower, Frank's mind was spinning with all the realities that had suddenly chosen this moment to make themselves known to him. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he grabbed another, half-heartedly drying his upper body before throwing it around his neck. Walking back into the bedroom, Frank was frustrated with himself. He wondered why, with an I.Q. close to genius level, it had taken three months and a heartbreaking betrayal for him to clearly understand the consequences of his actions. He had made a lot of assumptions and taken too much for granted. Why was it that people only had twenty-twenty vision when looking back in hindsight?

As Frank rubbed the towel over his head to sop up some of the water dripping out of his thick, dark hair he groaned and slumped his shoulders. He always kept a duffel bag in the trunk of his car with an extra change of clothes for occasions just such as this one, as did Joe. However, he had forgotten to run out and get it before getting into the shower.

Not wanting to give the neighbors who had watched him grow up an early morning peep show, he headed for the bedroom door, intending to yell down to Joe and ask him to retrieve the bag. Still swiping at his hair with the towel, he tripped over something and almost ended up face first on the floor before he caught himself on the dresser. Looking down to see what had suddenly turned him into a klutz, he smiled.

"Thanks, Joe," he said with a little chuckle as he picked up the duffel bag, which Joe must have brought in while he was in the shower.

Five minutes later, Frank walked into the kitchen to find Joe and his parents sitting at the table eating breakfast. As his mother started to get up to prepare a plate for him, he insisted she sit back down, but Laura was having none of it.

"My boys are home," she said, kissing him on the cheek. "Humor me and let me mother you. Is that too much to ask?"

"Whatever makes you happy, Mom," Frank said taking a seat across from his brother.

He noticed that Joe seemed to be rearranging the food on his plate in various shapes and patterns more than eating it. Every few seconds he would glance at his cell phone which was lying open on the table. Nudging his father, Frank tilted his head towards Joe with raised eyebrows. Fenton shook his head slightly, and shrugged his shoulders, indicating that's what Joe had been doing since he sat down.

Deciding it was best to leave Joe alone for the moment, Frank dug into his breakfast, while chatting with his parents. He had just finished the last of his coffee when Joe's cell phone rang. Frank saw the expression in his brother's weary blue eyes and knew it was the call he had been waiting for…

oooOOOooo

Vanessa awoke with a start, scared and disoriented at the unfamiliar surroundings, and felt the anxiety building fast and furious. Sitting up she leaned back against the wall, attempting to regain some semblance of control. Taking several slow, deep breaths helped to control her racing heart. Thinking of home, of Joe, helped to control her racing thoughts of Chris Taylor, which would quickly lead to a terrifying flashback if not brought under control.

A knock on the door pushed all thoughts of Taylor out of her mind, yet ignited a new fear.

_'He said they wouldn't touch me,'_ Vanessa reminded herself. _'They left me alone all night. Maybe he was right. Maybe they won't touch me.'_

The door opened and Trevor came in carrying a bag from a popular fast food restaurant and two coffees. She watched him warily, praying he hadn't lied to her the night before.

"Good morning," Trevor smiled at her. "I brought you some breakfast. After you eat, you can use the bathroom and wash up."

Vanessa nodded, but said nothing, still watching as he dragged a small tray table and a chair next to the bed. She noticed he made sure to place the chair an appropriate distance away, so as not to alarm her. Placing the coffee on the table, he pulled two breakfast sandwiches and two orders of home fries from the bag. Unwrapping the sandwiches, he placed one on a napkin within Vanessa's reach.

"How do you like your coffee?" he asked pleasantly.

"Cream and sugar," Vanessa replied quietly. She watched as he prepared one of the coffees for her and placed it next to the breakfast sandwich. Glancing at the logo on the bag, she felt a wave of sadness wash over her, which was clearly reflected on her face.

"You don't like the food?" Trevor asked noticing the look in her eyes.

Vanessa shook her head, still staring at the logo. "Joe's favorite place," she said quietly, thinking of how much of a kid Joe still was at times.

Joe still stopped at that restaurant almost every day for at least one meal or "snack", twice a day if the restaurant was having a giveaway of some kind. Vanessa recalled how she would tease Joe endlessly as the giveaways were usually for children, even though that never deterred Joe from collecting at least one of everything available. She felt her eyes start to burn and blinked rapidly, not wanting Trevor to see her cry.

"He loves you very much," Trevor said softly.

"I know," Vanessa whispered, quickly brushing away a tear.

"I'm sorry about all this. I really am."

"Then why did you do it?" Vanessa asked, curiosity mingling with the sadness in her grey eyes.

"Orders," Trevor said simply.

"Do you always follow _orders_?" Vanessa asked, a slight tone of contempt creeping into her voice.

"Yeah….I like being alive," Trevor replied, with a sardonic smile.

"What exactly were your orders?"

"We really shouldn't be talking about this. The less you know the better."

"Callie seemed to be pretty heavily involved," Vanessa reminded him.

"Yeah, well, if she had just done what we asked you wouldn't be here," Trevor said, bitterly.

"Don't you _dare_ try and blame this on Callie!" Vanessa snapped angrily, unable to stop herself. "How dare you! You _chose_ to take me as a hostage; Callie didn't force you to do that! Grow up and take some responsibility for your own actions and stop trying to blame it _orders_ or Callie! YOU did it - no one else!"

The second Vanessa finished her tirade she realized what she had done. Watching Trevor closely, she prayed she hadn't just overstepped the unusual friendship they had forged. If so, she knew his promise of the night before, that no one would touch her, would now be a moot point.

Trevor stared at Vanessa, both shocked and amused at her sudden outburst. He was silent for a moment, giving careful consideration to what she had just said.

"I guess you've got a point there," he said, somewhat chastised, although still smiling, and took a bite of his breakfast sandwich. _'I hope Joe Hardy knows what a lucky man he is,'_ Trevor thought, stealing a glance at Vanessa. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence.

True to his word, as soon as Vanessa had finished eating, Trevor untied the rope and escorted her to the bathroom, waiting outside until she was finished. Returning to the small bedroom, he again tied her arm to the rail of the bed, apologizing once more for the necessary evil.

Without even realizing it, Vanessa sat on the bed with her back against the wall and her long legs pulled up protectively in front of her. Watching her, Trevor was struck by the terrified little girl Vanessa was so desperately trying to keep hidden inside.

As he turned and walked to the door, he was haunted by the despondent look he had seen in Vanessa's eyes. It was obvious that she was not at all sure she was going to make it out of this alive. Trevor had every intention of returning Vanessa unharmed, as long as Joe Hardy followed his instructions to the letter. But he had heard about Joe's temper, and knew his best-laid plans could go awry.

He had fully intended to leave the room to make the call to Joe with instructions for dropping off the file and where to eventually find Vanessa, once the exchange was complete. Yet he couldn't shake the thought that if something went wrong, Vanessa or Joe – or both of them – could be killed in the ensuing confusion. He recalled the look on Vanessa's face and in her eyes when she had been able to speak to Joe the previous evening. Sighing, he knew he would never be able to live with himself if anything went wrong and Vanessa hadn't been able to speak to Joe one last time. Pulling out his cell phone, he turned and walked back to Vanessa, dialing Joe Hardy's number…


	16. Chapter 16

Oops, sorry! Sunday is my only day off and I was so busy yesterday I just… forgot! My bad…

Thank you for the kind reviews!! You guys are the best! :-)

**Trust **

**Chapter 16**

Joe Hardy paced the length of his parent's backyard, frequently glancing at his watch. Twelve hours. It had been twelve hours since he last heard Vanessa's voice. He was terrified he would never hear it again.

'_Two more hours,'_ he thought. _'I can hang on for two more hours.'_

Joe had gotten a call at eight o'clock that morning, with instructions on where to deliver the file. There was an isolated farmhouse up for sale on the outskirts of Bayport. He had been told to be there with the file at ten o'clock that night.

_"Come alone,"_ he had been warned. _"If we see your father, brother or the police, your fiancée will die."_

Those words had refused to leave him, haunting him all day long. He knew he'd been pushed to his limits, wound up so tight he was ready to snap. If not for Frank, he would have self-destructed hours ago. As always, Frank had known exactly what he needed. He had been glued to Joe's side, when Joe couldn't stand to be alone with himself, yet faded quietly into the background when Joe needed some breathing room.

Joe wandered over to the old swing still hanging from the tree and sat down, closing his eyes. Listening with his heart, he clearly heard Vanessa's voice and the words she had spoken that morning. He felt a lump in his throat recalling the slight quiver in her voice that she had not wanted him to hear.

Vanessa had tried to reassure him that she was fine, that her captors had treated her well, but he knew her better than anyone did. Joe heard the fear and the terror in her voice. He had smiled a bittersweet smile when Vanessa made him promise not to lose his temper. Her biggest fear was not for herself, but for Joe. The fear that he might react impulsively, out of anger, and get himself killed.

Joe had promised her he would remain in control and follow their instructions to the letter. He wasn't about to do anything that would jeopardize her life.

"Joe?" Frank's voice broke Joe's concentration. "It's time."

Extending a hand to his younger brother, Frank pulled Joe up from swing. Throwing an arm around Joe's shoulder, the two brothers silently made their way into the house. Joining their father back in the office, Fenton reviewed the plans one final time.

"Frank and I will go to the farmhouse now and stake it out," Fenton began. "Since you're not supposed to be there for another hour and a half - " he looked at Joe, " – that should give us plenty of time to get there and get settled without being seen.

"We'll have to wait until you arrive and meet with them before deciding on our next move. If they bring Vanessa with them, we'll move in immediately. I spoke with Chief Collig earlier; he's got a number of undercover officers close by waiting for a call if we need them, so we'll have plenty of back up."

Joe nodded, listening to his father intently. This was the scenario he was praying for, although deep inside he knew it was highly unlikely.

"If they don't bring Vanessa with them, we'll have to play it by ear. If they give any indication of where she's being held, we'll leave immediately and let Collig's men take care of whomever you are meeting with. If they don't, we'll wait and follow them. Either way, we'll probably have to leave you there."

"I don't care, Dad, just get her back."

"We will, Joe, we will," Frank said with determination.

Standing up, Joe took the manila envelope his father offered him. He held it as if it were priceless, because to him, it was. It contained the file that would bring Vanessa back to him.

"Let me check the wire one more time, Joe," Frank requested.

Joe obediently held his arms out allowing Frank to lift his shirt and check the wires and microphone taped to his chest. Standing this close, Frank could feel the tension coming off his brother's body in waves. Finishing his inspection, he pulled Joe's shirt back down and patted him on the back. "Don't worry. We'll find her tonight."

Joe simply nodded, blinking back the tears that had been constantly hovering at the surface ever since Vanessa had been kidnapped.

"Okay, let's go," their father said, snapping his gun into place. He led his sons out the door and into the night, praying nothing would go wrong. If anything happened to Vanessa, Joe would never get over it.

Getting in his car, Joe gingerly placed the envelope on the passenger seat next to him. Glancing at the clock on the dashboard as he started the car, he counted the hours. He knew it was absolutely ridiculous to expect a criminal to keep their word, but Joe prayed tonight would prove to be the exception. If so, he would be holding Vanessa safely in his arms by midnight.

"Hang on just a little longer, Baby. I'm coming," he whispered, having forgotten his father and Frank could his every word.

…

Frank turned and looked at his father, then quickly looked away.

'_Callie, why didn't you trust me enough to tell me about the pictures?'_ he thought sadly, and not for the first time. _'All of this could have been avoided.'_

oooOOOooo

Joe followed the rutted dirt path to where it ended at the farmhouse, hoping Frank and his father were already in position. Turning off the engine, he picked up the manila envelope and got out of the car. The eerily dark farmhouse combined with the almost moonless night and the wind whistling through the trees gave him the chills. He felt a slight panic that quickly began to build. Was it a set up? Was Vanessa here or were they holding her somewhere else? Was anyone here?

Slowly, Joe walked to the darkened farmhouse, climbed the wooden porch steps and stopped in front of the door. He reached out to open it, when he felt a gun press lightly against the back of his head and froze.

"Go ahead. Open it," a voice commanded.

Reaching for the doorknob once again, Joe turned it and opened the door. A hand applied slight pressure to his back, encouraging him to walk through the door. Once inside, a light suddenly came on, causing him to blink rapidly as his eyes adjusted to it. Looking around the room, he saw it was completely empty except for a chair and a table. Lying in the middle of the table was a white, business size envelope.

A hand suddenly appeared to his left.

"Now give me the envelope," the voice said.

"Not until I see Vanessa," Joe replied evenly. He heard a heavy sigh.

"Now, don't tell me you really thought we were going to have her here waiting for you," the voice said as if speaking to a child.

"That was the deal!" Joe said angrily, panic threatening to overtake him completely.

"No," the voice stated calmly. "The deal was you turn over the file and you get her back, unharmed. And you will. As soon as we verify the contents of the file. Now, the sooner you give me the envelope, the sooner you will get your fiancée back."

Joe saw the fingers on the hand move back and forth in a "give it to me" gesture and handed over the envelope.

"There. You have your precious file," Joe spat out. "Now where is she?!"

"Good. Now, please put your hands behind your back," the voice commanded, ignoring Joe's question.

Quickly forgetting his promise to Vanessa, Joe tried to spin around to face the voice. He immediately felt an explosion of pain at the back of his head and fell to his knees.

"And you were doing so well," the voice said and then sighed.

Joe felt himself being shoved to the floor. A knee pressed into his back, holding him down. The gun once again pressed into the back of his head, this time much harder.

"I'll ask you nicely one more time. Put your hands behind your back."

Reluctantly, Joe obeyed. A pair of hands grabbed his arms and tied his wrists together, blindfolded him and then dragged him to his feet. Apparently, the first man wasn't alone as the pressure of the gun against his head never let up. He was led forward and forced to sit in the chair. More rope was wrapped around his chest, tying him to the chair. He held his breath, praying whoever was tying him up would not discover the wire he was wearing. He exhaled in relief when the person finished the task and stepped away from him.

"I'm sure you noticed the rope wasn't tied very tightly. We fully intend to hold up our end of the deal. As I said, we just need enough time to verify the files are correct. We should have that completed by the time you are able to free yourself. If they are correct, you and your fiancée will be having a very happy reunion before this night is over. If not…well, I do hope you didn't think the life of a snitch was worth more than hers."

"You still haven't told me where she is!" he said, irritably.

"I know you saw the envelope on the table when we first came in. The directions to where she is being held are in the envelope. Once you free yourself, you'll know exactly where to find her."

"Why can't you just tell me?" Joe prodded, hoping they might give him a location to pacify him. If so, Frank and his father could get to her immediately.

"What good would that information do you all tied up like that? Don't worry, she's safe and she has not been harmed, you have my word."

"Why should I believe you?!" Joe yelled. "If you so much as touched her…"

Joe stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He heard the man speaking to the person who had tied him up. Receding footsteps and the sound of the door opening and closing, told him the person had left the room. He felt warm breath near his ear, as the remaining man leaned in close to him.

"You're right. You have no reason to believe me, so I'll tell you the same thing I told her," the voice said, referring to Vanessa. He stopped, taking a deep breath. "My little sister was raped when she was twelve. You have my word, no one so much as even thought about touching your fiancée. I made sure of that."

Joe swallowed hard. "I'm sorry about your sister."

"So was the son of a bitch who did it. Especially when he ended up at the bottom of the river." The voice shook with emotion. Joe felt a chill, but realized he knew exactly how this man felt.

"Now then. I'll be on my way. It shouldn't take you more than an hour to free yourself. I know she'll be very happy to see you."

With that, he was gone. Joe immediately began struggling with his bonds. A moment later he heard the door open and his heart stopped. They had returned!

'_What went wrong?'_ Joe racked his brain trying to find the mistake. Everything had gone exactly as planned.

What were they doing back? Had they discovered the file was a fake? Joe quickly dismissed the thought. He had complete faith in his brother. If Frank said they'd never be able to tell the file had been changed, Joe believed him.

'_The wire!' _Joe concluded.

Had the man who tied him up discovered it and simply not let on, so as not to alert whoever was listening? Joe realized that had to be it. Frank and Fenton must have been exposed. As Joe felt someone grab the ropes that bound him to the chair and begin to untie them, his heart broke. He knew he would be joining his father and brother, wherever they were being held. After all the work, all the planning, he'd never see Vanessa again.


	17. Chapter 17

As always, thank you for the kind reviews! And many thanks to everyone who is reading. :-)

I know this chapter is shorter than the others but I'm a firm believer in ending a chapter where it needs to be ended, regardless of word count. I won't babble on just to fill up a page with words. ;-)

**Trust**

**Chapter 17**

"Don't worry, Bro. I'll have you untied in a minute."

"Frank?!" Joe asked, stunned.

"Yes, 'Frank'! How many brothers do you have?" Frank asked, chuckling.

Frank was true to his word and Joe was free in less than a minute, lunging for the envelope. He tore it open pulling out a piece of paper. Unfolding it, a key fell out onto the table. Joe left it there momentarily as he read the handwritten directions. Completely absorbed in the sheet of paper, he was jolted back to reality when he felt a hand in making its way into the pocket of his jeans.

"Frank, what are you doing?!" He dropped the paper. He looked at Frank, incredulous, taken aback by his brother's actions.

Frank grinned, holding up Joe's keys. "I'm driving. It won't do Vanessa any good if you get us both killed before we can rescue her."

Joe stared at him open mouthed, his heart pounding. "You could have just asked for them, you know!"

"Would you have given them to me?" Frank said, knowingly.

Joe reddened slightly. "No." He grabbed the key off the table, retrieved the paper from the floor and was running out the door before Frank could reply. "Come on! Hurry up already!"

By the time Frank was out the door, Joe was already in the car with his seat belt buckled, impatiently drumming his fingers on the dashboard.

"A little faster, please!" he called out the window.

Frank jumped in the car and made his way slowly back down the dirt path as Joe read the directions out loud. Once Frank hit the main highway, he floored the gas pedal. He knew he was breaking the speed limit, but he was sure Joe would have been driving twice as fast if he hadn't taken the keys.

Less than five minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot of a run down motel. Turning off the headlights he headed for the room farthest from the lobby before Joe even gave him the room number.

"How do you know which way it is?" Joe asked, suspiciously.

"Makes sense that if you are holding someone hostage, you don't want to be anywhere near a high traffic area, now do you?"

"Right," Joe grumbled, thinking he should have guessed that himself.

Frank drove past the room at the very end, which coincidentally matched the number on the key, and made a u-turn at the far end of the parking lot.

"Park it already!" Joe said, his fingers hovering near the door handle.

"Wait a minute, Joe. They didn't expect you to get here for at least another hour. They probably still have a guard on Vanessa. If we go busting in there without thinking, we could get her – and us – killed."

As Frank parked the car, Joe slammed his fist on the dashboard in frustration, knowing his brother was right. He looked at Frank and was relieved at the look in his eyes - the one that said, _"I have a plan!"_

oooOOOOoo

Frank and Joe got out of the car, and quietly approached the motel room. Taking up positions on either side of the door, Frank knocked on it loudly. They heard footsteps come towards the door.

"Yeah?"

"It's me," Frank replied, hoping whoever was on the other side wouldn't ask who "me" was.

"All clear?"

"Yeah," Frank said, crossing his fingers.

As the brothers heard the chain being removed from the lock, Joe looked up towards the heavens.

'_Thank you!'_ he prayed silently, with tears in his eyes.

The second the door opened, Frank tackled the man, both of them going down in a heap. Joe leapt over them and ran for Vanessa who was curled up in a chair, gagged and bound hand and foot. Despite the gag in her mouth, he could see her smiling with relief, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

Removing the gag, Joe barely gave Vanessa time to breathe before he kissed her – once, twice and a third time. He quickly untied her and pulled her up. Wrapping his arms around her, Joe held her as close as he possibly could, still feeling it wasn't nearly close enough. Burying his face in her hair, he tried, and failed, to choke back the tears. Vanessa clung to him, never wanting to let go, finally feeling safe once again.

Unnoticed by both Joe and Vanessa, Frank had easily overpowered her out of shape bodyguard. He had picked up the rope Joe had discarded after untying Vanessa and bound their new captive, then dragged him out onto the sidewalk. The room was hidden from both the lobby and the highway, so Frank felt confident no one would see the unconscious man and try to help. He was about to call the police when he heard sirens in the distance, growing louder by the second. He stepped back into the room to tell Joe and Vanessa the police would be arriving momentarily and abruptly stopped.

"Okay, then… I guess I'll wait out here," Frank smiled, speaking to himself as Joe and Vanessa were too wrapped up in each other to even remember he was there.

As he exited the room, he glanced back and saw Joe pull Vanessa in for a long, passionate kiss. Frank chuckled to himself and wondered if his father had thought to turn off the volume on the microphone Joe was still wearing, or if he was now an interloper on Joe and Vanessa's very intimate reunion.


	18. Chapter 18

Big thank you's to Helen, TraSan, Polaris, Cheryl, Miss Fenway, MissMe113, and pally for your kind reviews. Thanks to everyone for reading. :-)

My buddy Cheryl has just started posting what is my most favorite story of hers EVER here on this site!! It's called _Classified Secrets_ and you should definitely go check it out! It's awesome! :-)

**Trust**

**Chapter 18**

Joe and Vanessa finally separated, flushed and breathless. Still clutching Vanessa tightly, Joe searched her eyes, dreading what he might find there.

Seeing the look on his face, Vanessa reached out and rested a hand on his cheek.

"I'm okay," she said softly. "They never touched me."

Joe closed his eyes, fighting back a fresh wave of tears. He felt Vanessa run her hands slowly over his chest and abdomen and begin tugging at the hem of his shirt. Slightly taken aback, he looked at his fiancée a little surprised.

"Uh, you might want to wait 'til we get home, Babe. We'll have a little more privacy there," Joe cracked.

Laughing, Vanessa felt the last of her fears melt away. "I'll try to control myself," she said dryly. "I really just wanted to know what was digging into my ribs while you were holding me."

"Oh," Joe replied. "_OH!_" He flushed a deep red. "Uh-oh…"

"What?" Vanessa asked, puzzled at his strange reaction.

Shrugging his shoulders, Joe grinned sheepishly. Releasing Vanessa, Joe held his arms out as he had done for Frank earlier that evening.

Eyeing him suspiciously, Vanessa slowly began to lift his shirt. She suddenly stopped letting out a loud gasp.

"Is that a…" she began, looking at Joe, her eyes wide.

"A wire," Joe admitted.

Glancing towards the doorway, Vanessa saw Frank standing outside talking to Detective Con Riley.

"Who's on the other end?" she demanded.

"Um…Dad," Joe replied, giving her his best little boy smile.

"Your _father_?!" Vanessa yelped, dropping his shirt and taking a few steps backwards. "It's not still _on_, is it?"

"Well, _I_ didn't turn it off," Joe smiled, now finding the whole situation extremely amusing.

"So if your father didn't turn it off either, then he heard…"

"Everything," Joe grinned wickedly.

Vanessa's cheeks turned a bright crimson. "You're enjoying this entirely too much," she reprimanded, moaning, "I'll never be able to look your father in the eyes again!"

"Don't worry, Babe. You'll think it's funny too…someday!" Joe laughed.

Another thought struck her and she groaned slightly. "Was anyone else listening?" she asked, fearing the answer.

"Just Dad…" Joe replied, watching Vanessa exhale in relief. "…when we started out. But we had a lot of back up. Who knows how many people are listening by now?" he teased.

Vanessa stared at him open-mouthed. "What are you waiting for?! Turn it off!!" she ordered.

"Excuse me," Frank said walking up to them. He stopped, slightly confused at the apparent 'argument' that seemed to be taking place between Joe and Vanessa. He relaxed when he saw the smile on his brother's face.

"She just found the wire," Joe said, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

Frank grinned widely, realizing once more how much he missed seeing that look on his brother's face.

"But your Dad probably turned it off a while ago, right, Frank?" Vanessa asked, almost begging for an affirmative response.

Joe winked at his older brother.

"I don't know, Van," Frank replied. "Dad's pretty thorough. He probably won't turn it off until he can see with his own eyes that you and Joe are safe," he finished seriously.

"What?" she cried out, staring at Frank. "Would he really do that?"

Frank shrugged. "You know Dad," he said vaguely.

"But…but…" Vanessa sputtered before taking a good, close look at Joe, who was trying to contain his laughter, but starting to lose that battle.

"That is not funny!" Vanessa smacked Joe on the arm before bursting into laughter herself.

Reaching out, Joe pulled her into him. "Come on, Babe. You have to admit that was too good an opportunity to pass up."

Just then, Con approached the group, puzzled by their apparent mirth. "I take it you're okay?" he said looking at Vanessa, who was still laughing softly.

He glanced from Frank to Joe who were both chuckling themselves and realized he was the outsider on an inside joke.

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Frank told his friend.

"I'm sure I don't," Con replied. "Listen, I hate to put a damper on your reunion, but there's an ambulance here for…"

"NO!" Vanessa cried out. "No, I'm fine. I don't need an ambulance."

"It probably wouldn't hurt to get checked out, Vanessa. Just to be sure," Con said, encouragingly.

"Please," Vanessa begged turning to Joe. "I don't want to go to the hospital. Please, Joe."

Joe saw the terror in her eyes and felt her start to tremble in his arms. He realized a trip to the hospital would do her more harm than good, most likely triggering a terrible flashback.

"She said they never touched her," Joe told Frank and Con. "I don't see any reason to put her through that." He stared at them intently, hoping they would get the message without him having to say it out loud.

"Have you heard from Dad?" Frank asked Con, deftly changing the subject. "Was he able to catch any of them?" Looking at Joe, Frank explained what had happened while he was in the farmhouse. "When the guy mentioned there were directions to where they were holding Vanessa right there on the table, we decided to split up. He followed the two guys who left the farmhouse and I went with you."

When Frank and Joe turned back to Con they saw he was scratching his head and smiling wryly.

"What?" Joe asked.

"When I grow up, I want to be Fenton Hardy," Con joked. "He didn't catch _any_ of them, Frank, he caught ALL of them."

"All of them?" Frank repeated, slightly shocked. "Are you sure?"

"As soon as they got into their car he was following them. He managed to give us specific directions as to where he was going, tell us everything that you and Joe were saying AND give us directions to where they were holding Vanessa. I don't know how he managed to drive, not get caught tailing them and keep all those directions straight."

"Way to go, Dad!" Joe said proudly. "So everyone who was involved in this has been arrested?"

"Yup," Con replied. "Which means you both need to come down to the station now and ID as many of them as you can," he said to Joe and Vanessa.

"Now?" Vanessa asked, suddenly realizing how exhausted she was, mentally, physically and emotionally. "Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"I'm sorry, Vanessa," Con said quickly before Joe could overrule him. "We really need you to do it as soon as possible. Official procedure."

"Okay," she replied tiredly, resting her head on Joe's shoulder. "Let's get it over with."

oooOOOooo

Vanessa stared through the one-way mirror at Trevor as he stood in the line-up. She knew he couldn't see her, yet she still felt as if he were looking right at her. She couldn't help but think about the strange alliance they had formed and the way he had been so protective of her.

Trevor had tried to make her as comfortable as possible, making sure she had regular meals and periodically escorting her from the room she was being held in. He had sat and talked with her several times and watched over her, making sure no one else got near her. He had even let her speak to Joe…twice. Yet as grateful as she was to him for all of that, she couldn't tell the police she was unsure if he had been her captor.

Frank, Fenton and Joe had already identified him. Laura and Callie would be doing the same thing the next day. Gazing at Trevor, Vanessa reminded herself that this was also the man who had blackmailed Callie, setting off this terrible chain of events. He had held a gun to Laura Hardy's head and threatened to kill her. And he had put Joe through hell, letting him wonder exactly what had been happening to her while she was being held captive.

As kind as Trevor had been to her, he was still a criminal. Vanessa would tell them what he had done for her, how well he had treated her, but he would have to pay for what he had done.

"Number three," she said numbly, and abruptly turned away from the window.

Vanessa felt Joe's arms encircle her, pulling her into a protective embrace. Slipping her arms around his waist, she closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest.

"Can we go home now?" She asked tiredly.

Joe held her close, kissing the top of her head. His gaze swept the room, resting briefly on every single person – his father, Frank, Ezra Collig, Con Riley and a few other detectives who had been involved in the arrests.

Official procedures required that Vanessa wait until her statement was typed up so she could read it over, verify there were no errors and sign it. Had additional questions come to light as her statement was being prepared, she would be expected to stay and answer them.

Joe knew all this. He'd been through it hundreds of times himself. But tonight, he didn't give a damn about official procedures.

"Yes, we can go home," Joe said defiantly, his eyes shooting fire, daring anyone to challenge his decision to take Vanessa and leave.

Not a word was spoken as he led Vanessa out of the room.


	19. Chapter 19

Thanks so much for all the great reviews! I had fun writing that last chapter so I'm glad you enjoyed the humor. This chapter gives a little more insight into the title and why it doesn't necessarily apply exclusively to Callie.

Thanks to all who are reading. Starting to wrap it up with this chapter; only two more left after this one. Hope you enjoy. :-)

**Trust**

**Chapter 19**

Frank glanced at the dashboard clock as he pulled into his driveway – 2:45 a.m. He sighed heavily as he looked up and saw a soft glow coming from the second floor bedroom window. He had called Callie from the police station to let her know Vanessa was safe and to tell her not to wait up for him. He had intended to take care of as much of the paperwork as he could so when Joe and Vanessa returned the next morning, they could be in and out as quickly as possible. Obviously, Callie had not listened to him.

Frank knew she was desperate to talk to him, to try and explain why she had given in to the blackmailers instead of trusting him. It still seemed surreal to Frank. Callie had made one bad judgment call and it had quickly spun out of control taking his entire family with it. But if he hadn't made his own bad judgment call almost three months ago, would any of this had even happened?

It had been less than three months but it seemed as if it were a lifetime ago. Vanessa had been so traumatized she withdrew from the world. Joe had watched the woman he loved disintegrate before his eyes, while coming to the realization that it was due to an act of revenge against him. He had also been starting to subconsciously flash back to the time he had been kidnapped as a child and all those horrifying memories were now demanding to be seen and heard. Fenton Hardy's usually flawless decision making when it came to his children seemed to have suddenly gone haywire. Frank was watching his family fall apart before his eyes. Was it any wonder his judgment at the time had been less than perfect?

'_Perfect,'_ Frank thought disgustedly. _'Why do I always put so much pressure on myself to be perfect? Maybe if I didn't expect it of myself, no one else would either.'_

But he did expect it. And he knew others had come to expect it too. Especially those who were closest to him. At least that's how it seemed to Frank sometimes. Everyone always assumed he had all the answers. And when he didn't, or God forbid, he came up with the occasional wrong answer, as had happened with Joe, he paid dearly for it.

Frank had tried to be the perfect brother, the perfect son, the perfect husband and the one that led to his ultimate downfall, the perfect investigator. No feelings or emotions were allowed. Just facts. Logical pieces of evidence that he could see and hear. The kid brother he had doted on all his life was in the worst possible situation imaginable and Frank knew emotions could not be allowed to cloud his judgment. Joe's life, and his sanity, hung in the balance.

And so he had pushed all his emotions aside. Joe ceased being his beloved younger brother and instead became a suspect. That decision, not to listen to his heart, turned out to be a mistake. An error he had acknowledged and corrected in less than forty-eight hours. Why did no one give him credit for that? Why did everyone choose to remember his one error in judgment – made under the crushing weight of his family's seeming collapse?

Frank closed his eyes and rested his head against the steering wheel. He had thought his family had begun to heal. Yet one isolated incident that he'd assumed was long forgotten had obviously been festering and eating away at his closest relationships from the inside out. He'd always been so proud of the fact that his family was open and honest with one another. Secrets were not a part of their world. At least they never used to be. Frank was heartsick wondering if he were the catalyst for the lies, the half-truths and out right betrayals that suddenly seemed to rule his world.

Hoping Callie was asleep and he might be able to put off the inevitable for a few more hours, Frank got out of his car and slowly made his way inside. However, luck was not on his side. As soon as he shut and locked the front door, he heard footsteps on the floor above. A moment later Callie appeared at the top of the stairs.

Frank and Callie stared at each other for several moments. Finally, Frank extended a hand towards his wife. She came down the stairs placing her hand in his and, silently, he led her into the living room. Sitting on the couch, Frank guided Callie to a seat next to him. As much as he knew it would hurt, Frank had come to the conclusion he couldn't put it off any longer. Gently holding Callie's hand in his, he looked into her troubled brown eyes.

"I'm listening," he said simply, then sat back and waited for Callie to speak.

…

Searching her husband's face for some sign of what was going through his mind at that moment, Callie was sorely disappointed. Frank was a master at disguising his emotions when it suited him and apparently it suited him just fine right now.

Callie had spent the past two days trying to find just the right words to explain to Frank why she had betrayed his trust and given in to the blackmailers. Somehow, everything she had rehearsed now sounded so hollow to her. There was nothing she could say that could justify what she had done and she knew it.

"There's no excuse for what I did, Frank, so I won't even try to give you one. I can only explain to you what I was thinking and feeling that led me to do what I did. It was still wrong – very wrong – and if I could go back and change it, I would. I'd give anything to take it back. Anything in the world."

"But you can't take it back, Callie. So why don't you just tell me why and maybe we can figure out how to get past it," Frank said quietly, wanting to keep an open mind and at least try and understand what had led Callie to lie to him and steal from him. If he could do that, Frank had concluded, they might be able to save their marriage.

"I love you, Frank. Please believe that. Please know it in your heart. Because I know what I'm about to say is going to hurt more than anything I've already done," Callie said softly. She knew she was about to break Frank's heart – again – but she had to tell him the truth. She owed him that much no matter how painful it was.

"When the man called right after I opened the pictures, he asked me if you would believe it when I told you I didn't know the man in the photos. I told him you would believe me. I was absolutely sure of it."

Frank felt his heart constrict in his chest and his eyes grew wide. He had a good idea of what Callie was going to say, but he hadn't expected to hear that. He had promised himself he wasn't going to say a thing until Callie was done, but the words were out before he could stop them.

"Then why didn't you tell me, Cal?" Frank asked, anguish in his voice.

"When I told him I was certain you'd believe me he…he said…" Callie stopped, choking on the words she knew would be like a knife through Frank's heart.

"He said what?" Frank asked, his voice shaking.

"He said you didn't believe Joe so why would you believe me." Callie looked into Frank's eyes. "And I didn't have an answer for that, Frank. Suddenly, I wasn't so sure anymore."

Frank squeezed his eyes shut, fighting to keep control. "That had nothing to do with you, Callie," he choked out. "It was between me and my brother."

"And I always thought that too, Frank. Until two weeks ago. I'm sorry, I truly am, but you are closer to Joe than _anyone_. You trusted each other completely – totally. For you to doubt him, even after he told you he was innocent… I honestly didn't know if you would believe me. I mean you would have had the 'evidence' right there in your hands, staring you in the face. Why would you believe me when you had the 'proof' right in front of you?" Callie told him, her voice trembling.

At the time it all made perfect sense to her, but now she saw her logic was riddled with holes, which made it that much harder to put into words. "I had to make a decision right then. He told me if I didn't, he'd make sure you had copies of the pictures the next day. I'm so sorry Frank, but all I could think was if you didn't believe Joe there was no way you would believe me."

"One mistake, Callie! One lousy mistake!" Frank cried out, unable to listen to anymore. "Aren't I allowed to make one mistake? I know it was a big one, but I _learned_ from it! Isn't that what you're supposed to do when you make a mistake? Figure out what you did wrong and never do it again?"

"Yes, but…"

"But nothing! Why couldn't you just give me the benefit of the doubt?! You're my wife, Callie! If you don't trust me, then our marriage is ov-"

"_NO_!" Callie cried out, tears streaming down her face. "Please don't say it! I DO trust you, Frank! I do! I know I made the wrong choice. I'm not trying to make excuses for it. You asked me to tell you why I made that decision and I did. All my reasons were flawed. I know that now. And I probably knew it then, too. But all my fears were drowning out the voice in my heart that told me you'd believe me. I'm sorry, Frank. I'm so sorry." Callie's voice trailed off to a whisper. "Please…if there's any way at all…please try and forgive me."

Frank leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes. He had been right. He had hoped there was some other reason for Callie's behavior but deep in his heart he knew it was because of _his_ behavior three months ago. And as much as he hated to admit it to himself, he could actually see her point.

If someone had told Frank he would one day doubt his brother and believe Joe was capable of murder, he would have said they were insane. But for two agonizing days, that was exactly what he had thought. And as much as he had hoped it was an anomaly that would be quickly forgotten, it was apparent that was not the case. His one mistake had obviously changed the way many people looked at him. Even those people he thought would never doubt him. He realized he needed to take responsibility for his part in this whole, ugly ordeal or it would continue to haunt him for the rest of his life.

Opening his eyes, Frank looked at his wife. He no longer saw the woman who had betrayed his trust and destroyed his faith in her. Instead, he saw the woman he vowed to spend the rest of his life with. The woman he pledged to love, honor and cherish, for better or worse…

Frank reached out and took Callie in his arms, holding her close. "I guess this would fall under 'worse' in the for better or worse part of the wedding vows, huh?" he said quietly. He felt Callie shaking in his arms, trying to choke back the sobs that were threatening to overwhelm her. "Shhh. It's gonna be okay, Baby. _We're_ going to be okay."

"Yu-you mean you for-forgive me?" Callie hiccupped, fearing she misunderstood what Frank was trying to say.

"I'll forgive you if you forgive me," Frank replied, wiping away her tears.

"For-forgive you? For what?" Callie asked, still stuttering.

"For putting you in a position where you felt you had to do that. If I had believed Joe the second he told me he was innocent, like I should have, you never would have had to question my loyalty to you. Looking back I can see it was naïve of me to think that didn't affect anyone other than Joe," Frank admitted.

"Thank you," Callie whispered. "We both know I don't deserve you."

"I don't know any such thing," Frank said with a sad smile.

Callie stared at him gratefully. She vowed he would never regret giving her a second chance. She would never doubt his loyalty or trust again.

As Callie sat curled up in Frank's arms, she could see by the expression on his face that something else was troubling him; something besides her confession.

"What is it? What's still bothering you?" she asked, touching his cheek.

Frank swallowed hard, feeling the roller coaster of emotions getting ready to take him on another ride.

"After Joe and I talked that night, and he forgave me, I thought it was over. Forgotten," he said, now turning to look at Callie. "Everything that's happened made me realize that might not be true. What if…" Frank stopped almost unable to say it out loud. His voice dropped. Shaking with the thought that he was probably right, he verbalized his worst fear.

"What if Joe doesn't trust me anymore?"


	20. Chapter 20

Sorry it's a day late but it's not my fault this time! I tried to post this many, MANY times yesterday but the site was not cooperating so I just gave up! :-/

Thank you so much for the reviews. Sadly we had an unexpected pet death in the family this week and your kind comments helped me smile again.

**Trust**

**Chapter 20**

The following morning found Frank and Callie at Fenton and Laura's once again. Callie had wanted to see Frank's parents as soon as possible to apologize and try to begin to heal the wounds she knew her actions had inflicted on everyone. She understood it would be a very long time before anyone in the Hardy family trusted her again and she wanted to begin that arduous journey now.

Assuming Vanessa would not want to return to the place where she had been abducted with the memories still so vivid, Frank felt comfortable that they would not run into Joe and Vanessa there and saw no reason to deny Callie's request. Frank wanted to see both Joe and Vanessa, to assure himself they were okay, but he knew it would be some time before either of them were ready to face Callie. He planned to stop by their apartment after dropping Callie off at home once she had spoken with his parents.

Expecting a very cold reception, Callie was surprised to find both of Frank's parents were much more understanding than she thought she deserved. She had tried to keep her emotions under control, not wanting to appear to be fishing for sympathy through tears, but when Fenton Hardy had lectured her on the damage her betrayal could have done to both Frank's and Joe's reputations, she couldn't hold back any longer. It had never occurred to Callie that what she had done could have such far-reaching and devastating consequences. Fenton, seeing her genuine remorse, assured her he had been able to keep everything quiet and no damage control would be necessary.

Shortly after that, Callie had joined Laura Hardy in the kitchen and found she was unable to look her mother-in-law in the eyes as she attempted to explain herself. As she laid out each and every detail of what led to her decision, Callie could feel her cheeks grow flushed with shame. She admired Laura more than anyone and the knowledge that she had let Laura down was almost completely demoralizing.

After Callie had finished speaking, she simply stared at her hands clasped in front of her on the table. She was afraid to look at Laura; afraid of the utter disappointment she knew would be evident on her face. To her surprise, Laura did not respond with the angry words Callie thought she deserved.

"I'm sure Frank had no idea that his initial mistrust of Joe would affect so many people. As far as he was concerned, it was something personal between him and his brother and was really nobody else's business," Laura said. "Looking back, I guess I can see why some people may now look at Frank in a different light."

Callie looked at her mother-in-law, a question in her eyes she didn't dare verbalize.

Laura stared at Callie intently then sighed. "I know you'll never say it out loud so I will. Do I still trust Frank implicitly? Yes. Absolutely. I know my boys very well. That was an aberration.

"You have to remember at that time Frank was trying to deal with what had happened to Vanessa, what _was_ happening to Joe and what he _thought_ he had just seen. Sometimes I think we all expect Frank to be perfect. In fact most of the time it seems he is, so it's hard to forget he's human." Laura stopped and smiled. "Then again I'm his mother. A mother loves and trusts without question. One day when you and Frank have children, you'll understand exactly what that means."

Pulling out a chair, Laura sat down across from Callie, taking the younger girl's hands in hers. She saw the guilt and shame in Callie's deep brown eyes and despite everything that had happened, her heart went out to Callie.

"Callie, I know you love Frank with all your heart. You would never knowingly try to hurt him. We all make mistakes and we all deserve a second chance. I think you'll find that the people who love you will forgive you – including me."

"Thank you. I'm not sure I deserve it," Callie said in a very small voice.

"Everybody deserves to be forgiven if they are truly sorry and they learn from their mistake. And you didn't hurt me – not directly. But you did hurt my children. People will forgive Callie, but they won't soon forget. I'm afraid it's going to take a very long time before you earn back the trust that used to be automatic."

"I know. But I'll do it," Callie said with resolve, knowing it would be a very long road.

"Good," Laura patted her hands. "But there is one more thing I have to say."

Callie looked at Laura apprehensively, but nodded. "Go ahead."

"My children may be grown but my first responsibility is still as a mother." Laura looked Callie directly in the eye. Her intense gaze never wavered. "If you ever hurt either of my sons again, you will have to answer to me."

"I understand," Callie replied, knowing instinctively she would never want to face the wrath of Laura Hardy, especially when it came to her children. "It will never happen again."

Just then they heard the front door open and then slam shut. Joe's voice echoed through the house.

"Mom? Dad? Anybody home?"

Callie's eyes widened slightly as she looked at Laura.

"You're going to have to face him sometime. Might as well get it over with," Laura said matter-of-factly. "In the kitchen, honey," she replied to her son.

Seconds later the kitchen door swung open and Joe was standing there. Standing next to Joe, clutching his hand tightly in both of hers was Vanessa. Judging by the look on his face, Joe had not expected to see Callie sitting in his mother's kitchen. Glancing at Vanessa, Callie noted she didn't look much happier than Joe did.

Laura sat silently, watching the three young people. Seeing how drained and tired both Joe and Vanessa looked, her first instinct was to ask Callie to leave, but she forced herself to remain still, waiting to see exactly what would transpire.

As Joe, Callie and Vanessa stared at one another, it was as if time had stopped. The air quickly became thick with tension and the ticking of the clock suddenly seemed to reverberate throughout the room. Abruptly, Joe dropped Vanessa's hand and moved forward. Grabbing Callie by the arm, he pulled her from the chair.

"We need to talk," he growled, dragging her out the door and into the backyard.

Vanessa stared after them, then looked at Laura apprehensively.

"That might not be such a good idea right now," Vanessa said. "He's _really_ angry."

"I'm sure they'll be fine. He just needs to get some things off his chest. Besides, we're close enough to referee if necessary." Laura smiled at Vanessa as she got up from the table. "How are you, sweetie? You look tired," she said, and then grinned wryly. "That's the mother in me coming out."

"I am tired, but other than that I'm fine," Vanessa replied knowing it was not entirely true. "We were at the police station until after midnight and had to go back first thing this morning."

"Did you get any sleep at all?" Laura asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"Yes. It just wasn't exactly restful…for either of us," Vanessa acknowledged.

"Then what are you doing here?" Laura scolded her affectionately. "You two should have gone right home and gotten some sleep instead of coming here."

"That's what Joe said, too, but I wanted to see you first," Vanessa replied almost shyly.

"Me? Why?" Laura asked, genuinely puzzled.

"To thank you."

"Thank me? What in the world for? I didn't do anything."

"You offered yourself up as a hostage. You begged them not to touch me. You were willing to go in my place without a second thought," Vanessa said, her eyes shining with gratitude. "How do you know they wouldn't have killed you?" Vanessa shuddered, thinking of the gun pressed firmly against Laura's head.

"I didn't. But it didn't matter. I just wish I could have convinced them to take me instead of you. You didn't need this, honey. You've been doing so well." Taking a chance, Laura opened her arms invitingly towards Vanessa. Without hesitation, Vanessa stepped gratefully into Laura's warm embrace. "And I would do it again in a second."

"I know you would," Vanessa whispered, hugging her tightly. "And I needed to say thank you."

oooOOOooo

In the backyard, Joe had released his viselike grip on Callie's arm, but he was standing only inches away from her, his blue eyes blazing with an intensity Callie had never seen before.

"Callie, I don't care if you are my brother's wife. If you _**ever**_ put Vanessa in a position like that again – EVER…" Joe repeated furiously, stabbing a finger at Callie for emphasis. "…just to save your own skin - I swear I will kill you!"

Callie stared at him not flinching, not moving and most definitely not speaking. She knew Joe was beyond angry with her and he had every right to be. She intended to stand there, silently, and take whatever it was Joe needed to dish out.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?! Do you have any idea what could have happened to her? And just because they didn't touch her DOESN'T make everything alright!" Joe continued, now waving his arms. "It's only been three months, Callie! _Three months!!_ It still takes next to nothing to trigger a flashback. Do you know how terrifying they are for her? She woke up screaming three times last night. Other than the night before her blood test, that hasn't happened in over a month! God knows how long it'll be before she can sleep through the night again."

Joe began pacing back and forth in front of Callie, stopping every few seconds to glare at her.

"Do you know how far back this could send her? I thought for sure when we woke up this morning she would refuse to leave the apartment. And don't let the fact that she did make you feel better," he warned with another glare. "She's taken several steps backwards because of this…because of _YOU_!" Joe spat out.

Callie flinched and her eyes burned with tears, not for herself but for Vanessa. She had once tried to imagine what Vanessa was going through, and found it was impossible. She couldn't even fathom the horror of being raped, let alone having to live with the aftermath – the possibly devastating effect it could have on her relationship with Joe; the whispers and stares Callie had occasionally noticed when she and Vanessa were out together; the fact that many people expected her to simply "get over it" and move on with her life; and the fear she now lived with on a daily basis. Callie could only watch, with admiration and awe, as Vanessa seemed to handle the bad luck fate had thrown her way with dignity and class. Joe's voice quickly brought her back to the present.

"When you see her, Callie, take a good look in her eyes. Because it's back. The fear. And the terror. And _you_ put it there!" Joe's voice started to quiver and he quickly turned away from her.

'_I don't need to look in her eyes,' _Callie thought, her heart heavy with guilt. _'I saw it the second you walked in.'_ Callie had noticed immediately the way Vanessa was holding Joe's hand with both of hers, almost in a death grip. She saw the way Vanessa stood more behind Joe, than beside him, just as she had done in the first month or so after the rape.

Staring at Joe's back, Callie wondered why he was shaking and it suddenly hit her that he was crying. Instinctively, she took a step forward, her arm outstretched, wanting more than anything to comfort him, before she realized it was the last thing he would want. Instead, she waited, silently, until he finally turned to face her again.

"Why, Callie?" Joe asked, his voice now heartbreakingly soft, his eyes begging her to give him some explanation he could understand. "_Why_ did you give in to them? If you didn't think you could go to Frank, why didn't you come to me?" His voice broke and his eyes filled with tears again. "Didn't you realize I would understand better than anyone why you didn't trust him enough to tell him?" Joe squeezed his eyes shut, letting the tears spill over, no longer caring if Callie saw them.

Like a bolt of lightning, Callie suddenly understood everything. Joe had been worried sick about what was happening to Vanessa. As if that wasn't enough for him to deal with, what Callie had done brought back the memory of Frank's betrayal full force - and all the pain that came with it.

"Joe…" she whispered tearfully. "I'm so sorry. I didn't even think about all the…feelings…this would bring back for you."

"I don't care about me!" Joe cried out, angry for letting that vulnerable side of himself show so easily. "What about Vanessa?! What about what you did to her? Couldn't you lie and tell them you didn't know what they were talking about? You HAD to tell them I had the file? God, Callie…first Frank and Dad, now you. I don't know who to trust anymore…"

"You _can_ trust me, Joe. It was just Frank-" Callie began before Joe cut her off, no longer the angry, protective fiancé - now just a confused young man.

"No, Callie, I _can't_. Don't you see the pattern? Frank didn't betray you, he betrayed me. But because of that you no longer trusted him like you once did. You didn't betray me, you betrayed Frank. And because of that, I no longer trust you. When does it end?" Joe asked, despairingly.

"It ends now," Vanessa said softly, surprising both Joe and Callie who had no idea she had quietly slipped into the backyard.

"Baby, I didn't know you were here," Joe said concerned, not knowing how much Vanessa had heard.

"I just came out," Vanessa said reassuringly. Putting her arms around his neck, she closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder. Joe held her close, stroking her hair gently.

"If you're done talking to Mom we can go home now," Joe said quietly.

"I am," Vanessa replied. "But I need to talk to Callie for a minute." She stepped back and looked him in the eye, seeing the unspoken question there _–'Are you sure you're ready for this?'_

"It won't take long." Vanessa kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be fine. Really."

"Okay," Joe said, not at all sure this was a good idea. "I'll be right inside if you need me," he finished, giving Callie a final angry look before he turned and walked back into the house.

As soon as Joe was in the house, Callie began speaking. "Oh, God, Vanessa I'm so sorry. Please believe me, if I had known it would end like that I never would have given them the file."

"Really?" Vanessa asked, raising her eyebrows at Callie's attempted apology. "So as long as I wasn't kidnapped it would have been okay to lie to your husband? Steal from him?"

"N-no," Callie backpedaled. "That's not what I meant."

"That's what it sounded like to me." Vanessa shook her head.

"I really am sorry, Van. I know how lame that sounds. There is no excuse for what I did to you. It's unforgivable, I know that. And I understand how much you and Joe hate me right now," Callie said, tearfully.

"We don't hate you," Vanessa said softly. "And we will be able to forgive you – one day. But the trust – Cal, you have to know that's gone."

Callie nodded mutely, brushing away tears.

"If you had just let what happened between Frank and Joe stay between them, everything could have been avoided. Now you don't trust Frank, Frank doesn't trust you. And Joe… I don't think he trusts anyone anymore. He doesn't need that right now, Callie."

"You're amazing, you know that?" Callie smiled sadly. "After everything that's happened, you're more worried about Joe than yourself."

"That's because I know I'll be fine. Joe will _always_ be there for me, no question. I try to be there for him but some days I can barely hold myself together. Until now, I knew he would turn to you or Frank, if he really needed to. But now…" Vanessa's voice trailed off for a moment. "Do you get it now, Callie? There's a domino effect when you betray someone. It touches everyone around you, even if you don't want it to."

"I do know that now. I should have known it before. Please, tell me what I can do to make it up to you. And Joe. God, I'd give anything to take it all back. Anything," Callie said, regretfully.

"It's going to take a long time to earn back what you lost." Slowly, Vanessa turned and made her way back into the house, as Callie stared after her.

"Believe me, Van, I know," Callie whispered, wondering how many other people she loved would have to pay for her mistake.


	21. Chapter 21

Gotta give a plug to a new story on this site – _Pandora_ by Dawn FD! Awesome, awesome story that grabs you around the throat from the very first paragraph and never lets go!! And if you think you 'know' what type of story it's going to be just from reading the first chapter, you have no idea how wrong you are!! If you are a Frank fan or a Frank/Nancy shipper you will loooooooooooooooooooooove this story!! Heck, I'm not a Nancy fan at all and I was enthralled with it from beginning to end!! Go read it –NOW!! You will NOT be disappointed! :-)

As for _this_ story, we have reached the end. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read. Hope you enjoyed it. :-)

**Trust**

**Chapter 21**

Joe stood watching Callie and Vanessa from the kitchen window, resisting every urge he had to run out into the yard, grab Vanessa and flee. He could tell by her body language that Vanessa was upset but she actually seemed to be more angry than anything else. Joe hadn't wanted Vanessa to have to see Callie just yet. But now that she had, albeit accidentally, he realized maybe it would do her some good to say whatever it was she had to say to Callie and get it over with. Feeling his anger come boiling to the surface every time he looked at his sister-in-law, Joe turned away from the window and found himself face to face with his older brother.

"Hey," Joe smiled. "I didn't hear you come in."

Frank stood, staring at Joe as if he had seen a ghost.

"Joe. What-what are you doing here?" Frank asked, taken aback. He had been so sure Joe and Vanessa would go to the police station and then straight home, he never anticipated seeing them at his parent's house.

"Van wanted to see Mom," Joe replied. "Didn't expect to see _her_ here though," he said disgustedly, jerking his head towards the window.

Frank glanced over Joe's shoulder out the window and saw Callie and Vanessa in a heated discussion.

"Are you sure Vanessa is ready for that?" Frank asked, concerned. He felt that he and Callie had already set Vanessa's recovery back quite a bit and didn't want to do any more damage.

"No, but apparently she does," Joe replied, his tone of voice indicating he did not agree at all with his fiancée.

"So…did you and Callie… talk?" Frank asked with trepidation.

"I yelled, she listened. End of discussion," Joe said, letting Frank know that was a topic he was not open to talking about.

'_At least he didn't kill her,' _Frank thought wryly._ 'That's a good sign.'_

"Good," Frank replied absently. "Listen, Joe, could _we_ talk?" he asked nervously.

"Sure," Joe replied, immediately concerned. Even making exceptions for everything that had happened, Frank wasn't acting like himself. "Do you want to go into the living room?" Joe asked, sensing whatever Frank had to say was extremely important to him. Joe knew he would be distracted by Callie and Vanessa if they stayed in the kitchen and he wanted to give Frank his full attention.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Frank turned and slowly led Joe into the living room, Frank taking a seat on the couch and Joe settling himself in the armchair next to it.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Joe asked.

Frank gazed into his brothers piercing blue eyes intently, trying to decide how best to say what had been eating at him the past few days. _'Just say it. Get it out in the open.' _Hands shaking and heart racing, Frank took a deep breath and blurted it out, fearing if he waited one second longer, he would lose his nerve.

"Joe…I have to know. Do you still trust me?"

"What? What kind of question is that?" Joe replied with questions of his own. He was getting a very bad feeling about what he knew was a potentially volatile issue.

"A valid question, I think. Considering everything that's just happened," Frank replied quietly. "So…_do_ you? Still trust me?"

"Of course I trust you!" Joe replied hastily, telling himself it was the truth. He _did_ trust Frank…up to a point. Praying Frank would be satisfied, Joe hoped he would just drop the subject. But he had a strong feeling he knew exactly where this conversation was headed and he was not ready for it. Not yet. Almost three months later, the wounds were still much too fresh.

"You trust me?" Frank pressed. "Totally? Completely? Like you did before?" He had seen Joe flinch and already knew the answer. Now he needed Joe to confirm it.

Joe held his brother's gaze for a second longer, then quickly looked away. This hadn't come up since the night Joe had forgiven Frank and that was just fine with Joe. In the weeks that followed, Joe had been very afraid Frank would bring it up again, for it was a subject Joe had not been ready to discuss. In fact he still wasn't ready to talk about it. Abruptly, Joe got up and walked to the window, staring out at the morning sky.

"I know you'll always be there for me, Frank. Always. Isn't that enough?" Joe asked quietly.

Frank felt as if a knife had just been plunged into his heart. "But you don't trust me anymore. Not like you used to." Frank said it as a statement; it was no longer an unanswered question.

'_I can't do this,'_ Joe thought. The searing pain he'd kept repressed for the past several months was suddenly screaming to be acknowledged and dealt with. _'I'm not ready yet.'_

"Please, Frank. I can't do this right now," Joe begged softly.

Frank was so stunned by this sudden reality he didn't even hear Joe's heartbreaking plea.

"Why didn't you say something, Joe?" Frank asked, his voice shaky. "When you never mentioned it again, I thought everything was fine between us. I thought it was forgotten."

"Forgotten?" Joe said in quiet disbelief. "Frank, you accused me of lying. You thought I was capable of murder. Even when I told you, over and over again, that I didn't do it, you still didn't believe me. Even though you couldn't really see what happened you wouldn't give me the benefit of the doubt." Joe's voice was so soft Frank had to strain to hear what he was saying. "I know I have a short fuse and a bad temper but I could never kill someone in cold blood. _Never_. I always thought you knew me better than anyone. Obviously, I was wrong. How am I supposed to just forget that?"

Frank stared at his brother's back, feeling sick to his stomach. "But you said you forgave me," Frank said, trying to keep himself from falling apart.

"I did forgive you," Joe replied in the same soft voice. "I just can't forget. There's a difference."

"Joe… I'm so sorry. I had no idea." Up until this moment, he honestly didn't know his betrayal had such a devastating effect on Joe. Frank walked over and stood behind his brother. "How come you never told me?"

Joe remained silent, trying to stay in control. All the pain he'd suppressed for so long came roaring to the surface, ripping open wounds that had barely begun to heal.

"Joe?" Frank laid a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Come on, talk to me. Please."

"I can't, Frank. I don't want to do this," Joe pleaded with him.

"Why not? Once you get it out in the open, you'll feel better and…" Frank stopped as Joe spun around to face him, obviously distressed.

"No, I won't feel better!" Joe cried out, his voice breaking. "You want to know why I never said anything? Because it hurts, Frank! It hurts like hell! Believe me, I know. And I love you too much to put you through that!" Joe felt himself shaking badly and knew it wouldn't take much to push him over the edge, back into that dark place in his mind that he was so afraid of. "Can we drop it now? _Please_?"

Joe was not ready for this conversation – mentally or emotionally – and he knew it. He had thought about confronting Frank once before, one day when the pain was so bad he honestly thought it would kill him. When Joe had discussed it with his therapist, Linda Gaines, he'd become such an emotional wreck she had seriously considered hospitalizing him. After she had gotten Joe calmed down, she strongly urged him to wait a while before talking to Frank. She feared that with everything else Joe was trying to work through at the moment, a confrontation with his brother, whom he still leaned so heavily on, would be devastating.

While she agreed that they would have to discuss it eventually, she suggested waiting until he had really been able to accept what had happened to him as a small child and started to move past it. By then, she told him, the wounds from Frank's betrayal would have started to heal. He would be able to talk to his brother more rationally and much less painfully.

Frank tried to speak again, but Joe cut him off.

"I thought about having this conversation with you a while ago. Linda told me it probably wasn't a good idea," Joe said, recalling how distraught he had become that day. "I'm sorry, Frank. I know you need to have this conversation now but I _can't_. I'm just not ready yet. It's more than I can handle." Joe's voice was shaking badly. "Please don't make me do this. Not now."

Frank swallowed hard, afraid he was about to see Joe fall apart before his eyes, and pushed his own feelings aside. "You're right. You don't need this now." He wanted to be the older brother Joe needed but there was one thing he had to know. "Can I just ask you one question?" Frank requested. "If it makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to answer it."

Joe nodded.

"Do you think you'll ever be able to trust me like that again? The way you used to?" he asked, knowing he might regret it once heard the answer.

"I hope so," Joe whispered. "I know I want to."

Looking his brother in the eyes, Frank hated himself knowing he was the cause of all the pain he saw reflected there. "The next time we have this conversation, it will be because _you_ initiated it. But you were right about one thing. I will _always_ be here for you. Always. Don't you _ever_ forget that."

"I won't," Joe replied softly.

'_I promise you, little brother, one day you __will__ trust me again. Just the way you used to,' _Frank thought, vowing to earn back his brother's trust no matter what the cost. '_The next time I ask you that question you'll say yes without hesitation.'_

"Am I interrupting?" Frank heard Vanessa's soft voice.

Frank turned and smiled at Vanessa. "No, I think we're done." he replied. "Right?" he asked, looking back at Joe.

"Right." Joe gave him a tiny smile. Taking Vanessa's hand Joe led her to the front door but hesitated before opening it. "I'll be back in a second," he said and walked back to the living room.

Frank was seated on the couch, his head back against the cushion, eyes closed.

"Frank?"

"Yeah?" He opened his eyes, startled to see Joe standing there.

"Thanks," Joe said, sincerely. Joe knew he and his brother still had things to work out, but he also knew if not for Frank, he never would have survived the past two days, let alone the past few months.

"For what?" Frank asked genuinely puzzled. The previous forty-eight hours had been a nightmare for Joe and Vanessa, and Frank couldn't shake the feeling it was all his fault. By all rights, Joe should hate him.

"Everything," Joe answered, knowing despite the lies and the betrayals, he had still been blessed with a brother he wasn't quite sure he deserved. "All things considered, I'm pretty lucky to have a brother like you."

As Frank watched his brother's retreating back, he shook his head_. 'You're so wrong, little brother. I'm the lucky one.'_

Looking down at his right index finger, he thought of a summer's day almost fifteen years ago and realized nothing, not even his own demons, could destroy the bond he shared with Joe.

**The End**

A big HUGE thank you to Cheryl, Polaris, TraSan, MissMe113, Miss Fenway, Helen, Alicia, dazzling vampire, Rini, josie, pally, ananya, sleuth girl, Mouse, fandemonium, franknjoe and Phx for taking the time to review! You always made me smile and your comments got me through more than one bad day. Thank you! :-)

For those who are interested, the next story in this series – _Vanished_ – will start going up sometime over the weekend.


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